MS 449 - BGSU Oral History Collection
MLA Citation
Tags
| Title | MS 449 - BGSU Oral History Collection |
|---|---|
| Subject | BGSU Centennial History |
| Introduction | The BGSU Oral History collection consists of over two (2) linear feet of transcripts and audio tapes of interviews with people associated with the University. In total, seventy (70) interviews with sixty-six (66) individuals are represented in the collection. The majority of the material was collected by Drs. Stuart Givens and Michael Marsden and their students during a 1985 fall semester course “Oral History of BGSU,” offered in conjunction with BGSU’s 75th anniversary. After the course ended, the material was transferred to the Center for Archival Collections (CAC) and other interviews were added to the collection after that time. Some restrictions exist on individual interviews within the collection. For all others, interviews may be cited and quoted for publication. Dana Nemeth, Library Associate II, completed the register in March 2009 and updated it in March 2011. |
| Biographical Sketch | The course “Oral History of BGSU” was offered as a History 400/580 and Popular Culture 470 course in the fall of 1985, in which eight students were enrolled. The students, as well as the course’s professors Stuart Givens and Michael Marsden, interviewed at least thirty-six (36) individuals, ranging from retired university presidents to clerical staff. Some of the interviews were transcribed as part of the coursework. After the course ended, the transcripts, tapes, and computer media were transferred to the CAC. More individuals were interviewed in the spring of 1986 by students and by Drs. Marsden and Givens. It is unclear if these were part of the course work or done as separate projects. In the late 1980s, the CAC staff had business students transcribe the majority of the remaining interviews. All of this material is also part of the collection. Material from several interviews conducted in the 1990s, some of which appear to have been conducted by CAC staff, is also part of the collection. In total, sixty-seven (67) interviews with sixty-four (64) individuals are represented in the collection. Audio tapes and printed material from Clif Boutelle’s five year history project for Sidney Ribeau (completed in 2001), were donated to the CAC in 2010 and added to the collection in 2011. In total, seventy (70) interviews with sixty-six (66) individuals are represented in the collection. |
| Scope and Content | Audio tapes and/or transcripts for seventy (70) interviews are included in the collection, ranging in date from 1985 to 2001, with the majority being conducted in 1985 and 1986. The collection includes transcripts for fifty-six (56) interviews. Four individuals were interviewed twice: Richard Eakin, Michael Ferrari, J. Paul Kennedy, and Paul Olscamp. Some of the transcripts appear to be incomplete, specifically those for interviews with Don Cunningham, Richard Eakin, and Michael Ferrari. The audio tapes for transcribed interviews with Eddy Friess, Doyt Perry, and Michael Ferrari’s first interview are missing from the collection. In addition, only one of the interviews with J. Paul Kennedy has been transcribed. Although the collection includes audio tapes from a 1997 interview and a 2001 interview with Sidney Ribeau, they have not been transcribed. The collection contains questions and planning notes for the 1997 Ribeau interview and the interview questions and the final report for Ribeau’s 2001 five year history project. Please note that the collection includes audio tapes for interviews with an additional fourteen (13) individuals that have not been transcribed: Warren Allen, Galen Ash, Alva Bachman, Robert Bashore, Suzanne Crawford, Wes Hoffman, Julianna Holt, Charles Lakofsky, Virginia Platt, Elden T. Smith, Marion Steller, Willard Wankelman, and Esther Waugh. Computer disks containing transcripts are filed at the end of the collection. It should be noted that their formats are outdated and the files may no longer be able to be retrieved. However, in general, it does seem that all the transcripts from these disks have been printed out and are filed within the collection. A complete list of interviewees and information about their files is available online in pdf format. In addition, a folder containing donation forms, some of which include restrictions, is filed at the end of the collection. At the time this register was revised, one of the restrictions was still active. Please consult the donation forms for the restrictions. In some cases, a list of questions and biographical information about the subject are attached to the donation form. Unfortunately, two interviews seem to be completely missing from the collection or were perhaps never conducted, as the donation forms are signed, but no transcripts, tapes, or computer media were found for these people (Harold Klotz and Norma J. Stickler). A folder with the course requirement sheet and a newspaper clipping about the “Oral History of BGSU” class is filed at the end of the collection. Based on the transcripts, the interviews seem somewhat limited in scope by focusing primarily on individuals’ impressions of the various university presidents and do not go into much detail about daily life on campus. Generally, the student interviewers did not delve beyond the set questions assigned to them. However, researchers interested in learning more about the history of the university may find the interviews useful as they do give some insight into BGSU from the 1910s through 2001. |
| Series Description | LITERARY PRODUCTIONS TRANSCRIPTS AND INTERVIEW NOTES LEGAL DOCUMENTS DONATION RECORDS PRINTED MATERIAL PRINTED MATERIAL AUDIO VISUAL MATERIAL AUDIO RECORDING TAPES COMPUTER MEDIA COMPUTER MEDIA |
| Inventory | Box 1 Folder
Box 2
Box 3
Box 4
Box 5: Computer Media
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