Cray, Ed.

Edward Cray was born July 3, 1933 in Cleveland, OH; BA (1957), graduate study (1958-59), UCLA; instructor in folklore and folksong, UCLA, 1958-60; associate editor and business manager, Frontier, 1961-64; director of publications, American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Southern California, 1965-70; associate professor (1976-90), then in 1991 professor of journalism, Univ. of Southern California; author of several books, including The big blue line : police power versus human rights (1967), The enemy in the streets (1972), The burden of proof : the trial of Juan Corona (1973); Levi's : the history of Levi Strauss & Co. (1978), Chrome colossus : General Motors and its times (1981), and General of the army : George C. Marshall, soldier and statesman (1990).

Biography

Edward Cray was born July 3, 1933 in Cleveland, Ohio; BA (1957), graduate study (1958-59), University of California, Los Angeles; instructor in folklore and folksong, University of California, Los Angeles, 1958-60; associate editor and business manager, Frontier, 1961-64; director of publications, American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Southern California, 1965-70; associate professor (1976-90), then in 1991 professor of journalism, University of Southern California; author of several books, including The Big Blue Line: Police Power versus Human Rights (1967), The Enemy in the Streets (1972), The Burden of Proof: The Case of Juan Corona (1973); Levi's: The History of Levi Strauss & Co. (1978), Chrome Colossus: General Motors and its Times (1981), and General of the Army George C. Marshall, Soldier and Statesman (1990).

Biographical Narrative

Ed Cray is a writer about the Los Angeles scene, with articles printed in magazines such as Coast ; and has written books arising out of his interest in the American Civil Liberties Union. The files collected for research for The Big Blue Line: Police Power vs. Human Rights and the manuscript and galley proofs to that book form the first part of the collection of his papers at UCLA. That book was written while publications director of the Southern California branch of ACLU.

In The Big Blue Line, Mr. Cray wrote, In the gray area between reasonable belief and sufficient evidence most police practice and legal decisions are born. He continued this concern with reasonable belief and reasonable doubt with his next book, about the Juan Vallejo Corona murder trial. A list of possible titles considered by Mr. Cray-- The Burden of Proof, A Reasonable Doubt, Beyond a Reasonable Doubt, The Presumption of Innocence, Presumed Innocent --suggests the significance he gave to the case in working with Juan Corona's defense attorney, Richard Hawk, in telling more of the story of Juan Corona than is available in transcripts or in the many articles written as coverage of the trial itself. Cray saw in the case not merely the appeal of a sensational murder trial, but the possibilities for examining the American jury system.

Juan Corona was indicted for the murder of twenty-five indigent workers, found buried on the J.R. Sullivan Ranch, near Yuba City, California, in 1971. He was convicted of the murders in 1973, although the case is still being appealed.

Mr. Cray kept subject files about various aspects of the case and on most of the people involved. These are here retained with the headings given by Mr. Cray for his own use. In addition, he collected copies of all official investigation reports, crime lab reports, and transcripts of the trial, including transcripts of hearings in chambers and various writs. Most of these documents bear notes or markings by Mr. Cray. Many of the trial transcripts have pages of notes kept with them.

Since the material covers the period of the investigations in 1971, the indictment and trial, which ended in 1973, there has been no attempt made to provide exhaustive dating for items in the various subject file folders.

by Dan Luckenbill

January 1974