11 oral history videos available
By Kathy Thomson
Interviews from all 11 of the people filmed during the first round of SPOKEN: Ardon B. Judd, Jr. Oral History Project are now available for free public viewing at the Stasney Center inside the Old Jail Art Center and online at the OJAC’s Vimeo channel at vimeo.com/user32466522.
Part of the stated mission of the local museum is to be the primary cultural resource for the region, providing local history resources for residents and visitors alike; and one of the ways the art center does so is through the oral history project “SPOKEN.”
“The project records the stories and life histories of the people of Albany and its surrounding region in order to preserve this rich history and make it accessible to visitors, students, and researchers,” said OJAC archivist Molly Sauder. “This wealth of information will be both a source of enjoyment and education for current and future generations.”
The topics are as varied as the people telling their stories of local history, according to Sauder, and include remembrances of frontier times, ranching, oil and gas, ethnic influences, philanthropy, OJAC history, art and artists, and more.
The individual videos from the first round of interviews are available for viewing at the Stasney Center. Those short videos as well as the full length interviews, along with their respective transcripts, are available for the general public to access online at no charge.
A list of interviews released so far includes Shirley Caldwell, Watt (Palo) Matthews Casey, Nancy Green, A.V. Jones Jr., Jon Rex Jones, John Matthews, Wilma Jo Tucker Mitchell, Betsy Black Parsons, Julia Putnam, Clifford Teinert, and Winifred Waller.
“This year we started on our second round of interviews,” said Sauder. “A few people (we plan to interview during the second round) were not available when the crew was here last month, so we’re hoping to pick them up at a later date.”
Transcripts of the new interviews are being produced.
“Once those have been created, the script writing and film editing process will begin,” said Sauder. “Narration, music, and images relevant to the subject and content are added to the edited interviews. I’m hopeful that the new films and interviews will be available for museum visitors, both online and in person, by early 2020.”
The project is expected to continue as long as there is sufficient funding.
“In addition to seeking out grants from foundations, we would welcome donations from individual patrons,” said the archivist. “Anyone interested in contributing towards the project can either contact Susan Montgomery at the museum (325-762-2269) or go online to the project page on the Old Jail’s website: theojac.org/ardon-b-judd-jr-oral-history-project.”
Sauder thanked all of the original donors who helped get the project off the ground and made the first interviews and films possible, as well as the Summerlee Foundation, which provided a grant for the new audio/visual technology.
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