Oral History Project Preserves Voice Of The Past

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. - A new center administered through the University of Arkansas has gathered some of the state’s leading voices in history, politics and news for the purpose of preserving an even more important voice - that of the past.

Using video- and audio-taped interviews, the Arkansas Center for Oral and Visual History aims to capture the story of Arkansas’ past as told by the people who lived it. At 11 a.m. on Tuesday, June 6, the center will dedicate its first taped and transcribed interview to the UA Special Collections division of Mullins Library.

This inaugural installment of the Oral History collection commemorates the remarkable career of UA professor emerita, Diane Blair. Roy Reed, professor emeritus of journalism at the University and former reporter for the New York Times, conducted the interview - leading Blair through a discussion about Arkansas’ changing political atmosphere and about her own involvement in state politics, both as a scholar and participant over the past 30 years.

"I feel honored to be included in this collection," said Blair. "One of the most valuable things a university can do is to gather information from all its various sources - not just written books and papers but radio, television reports and eyewitness accounts. As a researcher, I know that the best information comes from original sources, and that’s what this project will collect and preserve."

By preserving these sources, the Oral History Project will create a rich resource for scholars. But organizers hope it will also serve young students, educators and citizens who want to learn not just about Arkansas’ past but also about its people.

This represented former U.S. Senator David Pryor’s primary goal when he proposed the creation of the center in 1999. Donating $220,000 in unexpended campaign funds, Pryor provided the initial endowment that covered organizational costs and training expenses as well as funding to launch future projects.

"As Willard Gatewood said, it’s time for Arkansans to define who we are rather than letting other people do it for us," Pryor explained. "We need this collection not just to preserve our past but to perpetuate our state’s unique identity and culture."

In this spirit, the Center for Oral and Visual History chose to focus its first full-scale project on an institution that largely shaped Arkansas’ "unique identity and culture" - the Arkansas Gazette.

Founded in 1819 by William E. Woodruff, the Arkansas Gazette reported on state politics, people and events for more than 170 years, distinguishing it as the longest-running newspaper west of the Mississippi River. Its thorough coverage of issues and events established it as the paper of record for the entire state. And its readiness to tackle controversial topics - like the integration of Little Rock High School - ensured its place in state and national history.

"Even people who didn’t agree with the editorial policy felt they had to read the Arkansas Gazette to know what was going on," said Roy Reed, who started his career reporting for the Gazette. "When it shut down, people actually mourned it. Some still do."

The Arkansas Gazette closed its doors in October 1991 - suffering from poor management by its parent company and buckling beneath the competition from other statewide dailies. Titled "The Last Days of the Arkansas Gazette," the Oral History Program’s first project will chronicle the paper’s demise. But it will also commemorate what made the paper so innovative and influential, said Jeannie Whayne, chair of the UA history department and director of the center.

Funded in part by Hugh B. Patterson - former publisher of the Gazette - and his sons Carrick and Ralph, the project will include testimony from more than 100 people ranging from columnists to cartoonists, photographers, editors, printers, reporters and publishers.

Roy Reed - acting as primary interviewer for the project - originally estimated that each interview would last about one hour. In actuality, sessions often extend three to six hours, he said, depending on the experiences and expertise of the subject.

In addition to being audio-taped, each interview will be transcribed word for word into document form. Both tapes and transcription will be housed in Special Collections where students and researchers can access them.

"We want to make these records as available to the public as possible," Whayne said. "Some will be edited into a book. Some will even be available over the Internet with sound files to accompany the written transcript."

Whayne estimates that most of the interviews will be completed by the end of the summer, with transcription extending into January of 2001. The finished project will offer a wealth of historical facts, personal recollections, anecdotes and insights, memorializing one of the great newspapers of the nation and one of the great institutions of the state.

"The Arkansas Gazette was as integral to the formation of this state as the Arkansas River. It was a part of us," Pryor said. "It sat on everyone’s breakfast table - was quoted, discussed, even disparaged by some, but it was a part of who we are."

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