Oral History and Public History

Abstract

This fall the Oral History Association will convene its Fifteenth Annual Colloquium in Durango, Colorado. The first such national meeting was held in September, 1966, under the sponsorship of the University of California at Los Angeles at the university's Lake Arrowhead facility. A variety of persons (librarians, medical doctors, historians, archivists, psychiatrists) from throughout the United States assembled there to engage in a dialogue about a subject of mutual interest. This group numbered slightly less than one hundred. It was graced by the presence of Allan Nevins, known as the 'father of oral history. All sessions were plenary and at the conclusion of the meeting a consensus was reached that a professional association for oral history be established. In November, 1967, the Second National Colloquium was convened at Columbia University's Arden House to continue the deliberations initiated at Lake Arrowhead. Prior to this meeting the Oral History Association had been incorporated in the State of New York. Those attending this gathering numbered 150. By the time of adjournment they had considered a Constitution and Bylaws and elected officers. The Association was in business. Thus, one might say, transpired the founding period of our organization. It was my privilege to attend both meetings. I always find it fascinating to peruse the list of participants and to read the Colloquium proceedings. I recommend examination of the proceedings of the annual meetings of the sixties as interesting reading fare. Most of the questions we so often seem to come back to were raised in these discussions. Many of the people who participated in these meetings retained their interest in oral history and over the years have generously served the Association. In April, 1979, I had the good fortune to attend the first National Symposium on Public History at Santa Barbara, California. This meeting was sponsored by the Rockefeller Foundation and organized by the Graduate Program in Public Historical Studies at the University of California at Santa Barbara. For me there was a sense of deja vu. The first session of the symposium was a discussion of next steps in forming some sort of network or organization for persons interested in Public History. And, indeed, last September a steering committee' met in Washington, D.C., to plan the formation of a