Sometimes individuals get the job done, but there is a risk that individuals may not be good stewards of the finished product. Of course, indiviudals within agencies and organizations are often the key to the agency or organization being a good steward of the products.

Examples of a failure in good stewardship involve me. Along with Dr. John Allegrante, I produced several videotaped interviews with legends in our field in the video production studiio of Teachers.College, Columbia University in 1990. We had Dr. Betty Tevis Smith interview Dr. Helen Cleary, Dr. Allegrante interviewed Dr. Maran Hamburg, and I interviewed Dr. Don Johnson and Dr. Betty Tevis Smith. The original 3/4″ videotape was left with the director of media productions at Teachers College, Columbia University to make copies. When we checked on it a few months later, the director could not locate our original videotape and had made no copies of it.

In 1991, concurrent with the SOPHE Midyear Scientific Conference, Dr. Pete Cortese and I produced several videotaped interviews in the media production facilties of Cal State U Long Beach, where Pete was an assistant dean. Pete interviewed Dr. Edward “Ned” Johns, Dr. Marion Polack and Ruth Richards. Among those I interviewed were Pete, Paul Mico, Dr, Helen Ross, Dr “Rusty” Rosenstock, and Dr. Josephine Gaines. The original videotaped interviews were on 3/4″ videotapes, which I placed with the dierctor of the media center at Texas Woman’s university to make copies on 1/2″ videotapes. Some copies were made, but when a new director assumed authority over the TWU Media Center, he decided to discard all 3/4″ videotapes because he deemed them outmoded. He failed to check the ownership of the tapes discarded.

I still have a couple of copies of the interviews reproduced on 1/2″ videotapes. Currently, Dr. Anna Love, Assistant Professor, Texas Woman’s University, is supervising transfer of these to DVDs.

Also, I have a copy of a 3/4″ videotape with health education legends that was produced at the University of Kentucky by Dr. Joe Fred Sills and Dr. Carl Peter in the late 1970s. this is referred to as the “Legends Videotape”, Carl provided copies to several requesters for possibly two decades following the demise of the community health program within the School of Allied Health at the University of Kentucky. I do not know if he continues to do this.

Bill

To give you an example, for DECADES we have talked about doing something about conducting interviews with some of our legends. Unfortunately there’s been more talk than action. However, there are individuals who are doing something to save our history. I believe Jim Eddy is working with his colleagues in UNC Greensboro in creating DVDs. That should be something that is highly touted by our profession.

Thanks for posting this Bill.