Clay M. Greene was an American playwright, director and alumnus of Santa Clara College. Born on March 12, 1850 in San Francisco, California, Greene was exposed to the burgeoning theater trade of the Gold Rush Era as an adolescent. Greene immersed himself in the world of theater, observing, acting and eventually writing burlesques and plays. In 1867, Greene’s parents sent him to Santa Clara College, where they hoped he would pursue studies in law or medicine. Instead, his college experience further solidified his interest in the theater. Upon his return to San Francisco in 1870, Greene worked as a newspaperman, writing for The Golden Era and its competitor The Argonaut. In 1878, Greene relocated to New York, where he believed his work would flourish, and eventually, it did. Over his career, seventeen of Greene’s thirty-three full length plays became Broadway productions. As a gift to his alma mater, Greene wrote and produced Nazareth: The Passion Play of Santa Clara. Greene’s Passion Play was performed for the first time at Santa Clara College’s Golden Jubilee in 1901 and enjoyed continued success for many years.

Active in numerous social clubs across the country, Greene was Shepherd of the New York Lambs; Commodore of Manhasset Bay Yacht Club; an early member of the San Francisco Bohemian Club; an active member of the Huckleberry Indians (comprised of New York Athletic Club members) and an honorary member of the Olympic Club. Greene often created or adapted short plays and sketches for social club events such as the New York Lambs’ Gambol, the Bohemian Club’s Grove Play and the Huckleberry Indian’s Annual Pow Wow.

In 1873, Greene married Alice R. Wheeler, and their marriage lasted until her death in 1910. In the early 1900s, Greene once again found himself writing a regular column, this time for The Philadelphia Inquirer Magazine, under the pen name “Uncle Clay.” In 1911, he married playwright Laura Hewett Robinson, whose daughter by a previous marriage was actress Helen Greene. In 1933, Greene broke his hip and remained bedridden until his death on September 5, 1933 in San Francisco, California. He was still at work on his memoirs. In his honor, Santa Clara University’s dramatic society, active until the 1960s, became known as the Clay M. Green Society.

Bibliography:

“Clay Greene Back on Earth: Former Champion California Playwright in Town.” Los Angeles Times Nov. 30, 1911: 115. ProQuest Historical Newspapers. Web. Jan. 8, 2016.

“Clay M. Greene, Actor, Dies in West: Was First American Born in San Francisco—Shepherd of the Lambs Here 11 Times.” New York Times Sep. 6, 1933: ProQuest Historical Newspapers. Web. Jan. 8, 2016.

James, William R. Clay Meredith Greene (1850-1933): A Case Study of an American Journeyman Playwright. Iowa City: University of Iowa, 1969. Print.

Santa Clara University was founded in 1851 by the Society of Jesus as Santa Clara College and is California’s oldest operating institution of higher learning. It was established on the grounds of Mission Santa Clara de Asìs, the eighth of the original 21 California missions. The college originally operated as a preparatory school and did not offer courses of collegiate rank until 1853. The institution became known as the University of Santa Clara in 1912, when the schools of engineering and law were added. For 110 years, Santa Clara University was an all-male school. In 1961, women were accepted as undergraduates and Santa Clara University became the first coeducational Catholic university in California. The number of students and faculty tripled over the next decade and the university began the largest building program in school history with eight residence halls, a student union, and an athletic stadium. In the early 1970s, the Board of Trustees voted to limit the size of the undergraduate population, an action that was intended to preserve the character and ensure the quality of the university for generations to come. In 1985, the university adopted Santa Clara University as its official name.

Bibliography:

Santa Clara University. “About SCU – History.” www.scu.edu/about/history.cfm (Accessed Nov. 23, 2010)

McKevitt, Gerald, S.J. The University of Santa Clara: A History, 1851-1977. Stanford, California: Stanford University Press, 1979.