Studs Terkel, revered as the nation's leading oral historian, has amassed a wealth of stories in his more than 50 years as a radio host and author. Guided by his eclectic interest in culture and society and his burning curiosity about the world, Terkel has engaged in a lifelong conversation with America. This great oral historian is being honored with The Studs Terkel Center for Oral History at the Chicago Historical Society (CHS), on Clark St. at North Ave.
Studs Terkel, the first appointed Distinguished Scholar-in-Residence at CHS, continues to draw and expand on his exceptional skill as a radio interviewer investigating historical and social events as well as cultural trends. His talent for exploring life has brought Terkel numerous awards and accolades.
CHS owns approximately 6,000 reels (about 5,000 hours) of sound recordings of the Studs Terkel Program. These include interviews with individuals who have dramatically shaped the 20th century American culture and our society, such as Rosa Parks, Tennessee Williams, Leonard Bernstein, Carol Channing, Nelson Algren and Martin Luther King, Jr. In addition to his radio program, CHS is home to Terkel's oral histories for his numerous books, including "Division Street," "Working," "The Good War" and "Will The Circle Be Unbroken."
According to CHS president Gary T. Johnson, CHS developed the idea of The Studs Terkel Center for Oral History for many reasons. "Few have so successfully captured the essence of our daily lives as Studs. From the halls of government and corporate boardrooms to the factory floor and the picket line, Studs has engaged thousands of citizens in conversation about their memories of the past and their hopes and dreams for the future. For Studs, there is not a voice that should not be heard, a story that could not be told. He believes that everyone has the right to be heard and has something important to say. He has always been there to listen, to chronicle, and to make sure their stories
are remembered."
The Studs Terkel Center for Oral History not only contains Terkel's extensive recordings, but will also include other oral history holdings. Many of them directly relate to exhibitions or research projects as well as oral history projects from other Chicago organizations. The collection includes, for example, oral histories from Chicago's Global Communities project, focusing on Mexican, Southeast Asian, Polish, and Asian Indian populations. Other oral histories document various neighborhoods in Chicago including the Near West Side, East Garfield Park, Pilsen, Little Village, Rogers Park and the Polonia collection. There are 350 hours of interviews and typed transcripts relating to the lives of 140 Chicagoans of Polish decent who immigrated to America between 1880 and 1930. There is also a collection of recordings that touch on the gay and lesbian culture of Chicago from historian
Gregory Sprague.
Following Terkel's lifelong work to record and document urban life, the Center seeks to promote oral history throughout the Chicago region and among all age groups. The CHS Teen Chicago project, which employed Chicago teenagers trained by Terkel to interview older generations about their teen experiences, has produced more than 100 interviews. The Teen Chicago oral history program has earned praise across the nation and is a model for engaging young people in an effort to preserve memories.
With Terkel's own oral history materials as its cornerstone, The Studs Terkel Center for Oral History will be the new name for all oral history efforts conducted by the Chicago Historical Society. "These sound recordings provide a unique and remarkably rich history of the ideas, knowledge, opinions, and beliefs of many influential thinkers, creative personalities, and political figures along with everyday people that affect our lives," said Terkel. "I am grateful for being part of CHS, and I can think of no organization better suited to be Chicago's headquarters for all oral history work."
For more information, call (312) 642-4600 or visit www.chicagohistory.org. |
