Partner John Nojima
Queer Places:
University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, Stati Uniti
Forest Lawn Memorial-Parks & Mortuaries, 6300 Forest Lawn Dr, Los Angeles, CA 90068, Stati Uniti
William Dorr Legg (December 15, 1904 - July 26, 1994), second son of Franc C. Dorr and Frank E. Legg, was born
in his mother's family home, 406 Maynard Street, Ann Arbor, Michigan on
December 15, 1904. Circa 1910, the family purchased a small farm three miles
outside of Ann Arbor on the interurban streetcar line. According to his
interviews, the whole family shared the responsibilities for care of animals
and the household. On Sunday afternoons visitors from the University of
Michigan and family friends would provide lively national and international
political discussions in exchange for music and "good country" cooking. These
afternoon discussions exposed Legg to a variety of ideas and people, including
"emancipated women."
His formal education began at the Stone Schoolhouse, a single room for
eight grades. At the age of ten or eleven his father instructed him on the
finer points of collecting rent from the tenants of their family-owned
properties. He started college at the age of 16, commuting on the streetcar
line to the University of Michigan, where the diverse University Library
collection expanded his knowledge of the world. In 1924, the family planned to
winter in Broward County, Flordia. In Orlando, while on the journey, Legg had
his first "homophile" experience with an older gentleman, he picked up in a
park. That winter in the midst of the Florida land boom, he found a position
as a landscape designer in Tampa. During the day he worked for the Florida
Landscape Eng. Company and during the evenings and weekends he enjoyed the
social life of Tampa.
He returned to the University of Michigan and graduated with his Bachelor
of Arts degree from the College of Literature Science and the Arts in November
1926. He continued his education simultaneously enrolling in a music program
at the University School of Music, Ann Arbor and a landscape design program at
the University of Michigan. (In 1940, the University Musical Society
transferred all responsibilities for University Music School program to the
University of Michigan.) In 1928, he simultaneously graduated from both
programs and received a scholarship for the summer program at the Foundation
for Architecture and Landscape Architecture in Lake Forest, Illinois. He
subsequently left for New York City where he experienced the city's cultural
and social life including the tail end of the Harlem Renaissance. Employed as
a landscape architect, he worked in the city and later moved to the bedroom
community of White Plains, New York. In 1933, he became a member of the White
Plains' Church of Christian, Scientist where he served on the Church Board and
as Chairman of the Lecture Committee through 1935.
Featured in
Particular Voices: Portraits of Gay
and Lesbian Writers by Robert Giard [Rights Notice: Copyright Jonathan G. Silin
(jsilin@optonline.net)]
W. Dorr Legg (left) standing next to Bailey Whitaker and others, undated. Credit: ONE Archives at the USC Libraries. ONE got its name from a quote from the 19th century Scottish philosopher Thomas Carlyle. The quote reads, “A mystic bond of brotherhood makes all men one.” Dorr Legg credited Guy Rousseau, an African American school teacher whose real name was Bailey Whitaker, with finding the quote and suggesting the name.
A classmate from the Foundation for Architecture and Landscape Architecture
program had obtained a position at Oregon State College (OSC) and encouraged
Legg to apply for a position. Legg was hired by OSC and from 1936 to 1942 he
served as an assistant professor of landscape design. In his final year, he
also served as an assistant professor of art and architecture. While at OSC he
continued his landscape design practice, instituted a Christain Scientist
student organization and contributed the founding of a Christain Scientist
church in Corvallis. He also hosted a gardening program on the college radio
station, established a local chapter of the professional landscape architects
organization, created a committee to maintain and beautify the campus, and
contributed articles to various professional journals and popular magazines.
By 1943, enrollment had decreased significantly and Legg's brother, who had
assisted their father in the family business, joined the war effort. Legg
returned to Michigan to manage the family business and his father's affairs
until his father's death in 1949. In the same year, he was arrested and plead
guilty to a charge of "gross indecency;" Legg's socializing with
African-American men had drawn the attention of the police. As a result of his
arrest, he was almost evicted from his apartment and was suspended from the
Church of Christ, Scientist.
Seeking a more progressive and tolerant community, he relocated to Los
Angeles. From September 1949 to January 1951, Legg operated the Dorr School of
Design, where he taught art, architecture, interior design, and landscape
design classes "the Dorr way." During this time Legg and his partner, Merton
Byrd formed "The Knights of Clocks," an interracial couples community
organization with the goal of providing counseling services, legal advice, and
hosting social affairs. In 1951, he met like-spirited individuals that knew of
a secret organization, The Mattachine Society.
On October 15, 1952, at a regular Mattachine Guild meeting, a few members
brought forth the concept of an organizational voice. This idea was outside of
the agenda and members interested in further discussion were asked to adjourn
to the kitchen. That evening the concept of a homosexual magazine was
conceived and over the next two months a new organization, ONE, Incorporated
was formed. In January 1953, the first issues were sold for 25 cents each, the
same price as a beer at the time. By April 1953, the magazine offered the
opportunity of full-time employment for Legg as Business Manager and an
occasional weekly pay check of $25.00. He wrote articles under a number of
pseudonyms including; Holister Barnes, Richard Conger, Marvin Cutler, W.G.
Hamilton, William Lambert, Wendy Lane, Valentine Richardson, and Sidney
Rothman.
Legg believed that education could be transformative in gaining society's
acceptance of gays and lesbians. In 1956, he championed the establishment of
The Institute of Homophile Studies, the first institute in the United States
dedicated to the study of homosexuality. The Institute proved a range of
educational opportunities and received state accreditation for a period during
the 1980s. Using his pseudonym, Marvin Cutler, as editor, ONE, Inc. published,
Homosexuals Today: A Handbook of Organizations and Publications . Legg and the
editor of ONE Magazine , Don Slater, struggled over the future direction of
the organization in 1965. Legg's faction won the right to continue using the
name "ONE" in 1967. During this time, Legg contributed to the founding of the
Southern California Council of Religion and the Homophile (SCCRH) in 1966, an
organization formed to improve relations with mainstream religions and address
the spiritual needs of the gay and lesbian community. In 1976, Vern Bullough, Barrett W. Elcano, W. Dorr Legg, and James Kepner published their
edited work the Annotated Bibliography of Homosexuality , a survey of gay and
lesbian literature. The following year, Legg contributed to the founding of
the "Lincoln Republicans," which became the Log Cabin Club. A ballot intiative
to ban public school employment of gays, lesbians, and possibly anyone that
supported gay rights had spurred the formation of the organization. Legg's
final collaboration in publishing was a history of ONE Institute and its
educational efforts with David G. Cameron and Walter L. Williams, Homophile
Studies in Theory and Practice .
In 1960 Legg and John Nojima had started
dating and they remained together until Legg's death in 1994. Nojima played a
key role in supporting Legg financially and recording many ONE events. Legg
died in their home in his sleep on July 26, 1994.
My published books:
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