This collection consists of the oral history transcripts and related research documentation for the Space Telescope History Project (STHP), which examined the space sciences, predominantly astronomy, viewed through the lens of a particular undertaking, the Hubble Space Telescope, 1970s-1980s.
Scope and Contents:
This collection consists of the oral history transcripts and related research documentation for the Space Telescope History Project (STHP), which examined the space sciences, predominantly astronomy, viewed through the lens of a particular undertaking, the Hubble Space Telescope, 1970s-1980s. The principal investigator for the STHP was Robert W. Smith, and the interview set contains 235 hours of interviews with 80 individuals. The central thread of this collection was the problem of configuring new political relations among the space sciences and sponsors. The following were interviewed: Bob Adams (with Robert Trevino and Kitty Havens); M. Aucremanne; John Bahcall; Neta Bahcall; William Baum; Michael Belton; March Bensimon; Robert Bless; Greg Boeshaar; Albert Boggess; John Brandt; Robert Brown; Bert Bulkin; Margaret Burbidge; J. J. Caldwell; Frank Carr; Clark Chapman; John Clark; Art Code; Frank Costa; E. G. Danielson; Arthur Davidsen; Mike Disney; John Downey; Rodger Doxsey; Frank Edmondson; James Elliot; Garvin Emanuel; William Fastie; Riccardo Giacconi; Alan Goldberg; Edward Groth; Arun Guha; Don Hall; Richard Harms; Richard Henry; Noel Hinners; Donald Hunten; William Keathley; Warren Keller; Sam Keller; Ivan King; A.L. Lane; Barry Lasker; Robin Laurence; David Leckrone; Malcolm Longair; John Lowrance; Duccio Macchetto; Bruce McCandless; Kent Meserve; Jesse Mitchell; Jim Moore; Mas Nein; Don Noah; Memphis Norman; T. Bland Norris; James Odom; Jean Olivier; Charles Pellerin; Arthur Reetz; Jack Rehnberg; Evan Richards; Nancy Roman; James Rose; Jeffrey Rosendhal; Jane Russell; Ethan Schreier; Daniel Schroeder; Thomas Sherrill; F. Pete Simmons; Stanley Sobieski; Fred Speer; Lyman Spitzer; Peter Stockman; Ernst Stuhlinger; John Teem; Domenick Tenerelli; William Tifft; Hedrick van de Hulst; Edward Weiler; James Welch; James Westphal; Richard White; and Ray Zedekar. The collection also contains the following documentation gathered from a variety of sources: photographs, slides, NASA publications and reports, contractor reports and studies, press releases, and finding aids produced by the Space History Department, NASM.
Arrangement:
The Space Telescope History History Project interviews are arranged alphabetically by interviewee. Boxes 1-14 contain interviews on audio cassette tapes. These tapes have yet to be remastered and, due to their fragility, are not available to researchers. Boxes 15-20 contain the transcripts for these cassette tapes. Most of these transcripts are available to researchers though, restrictions are placed on a small number of them. A NASM staff member will advise the patron which transcripts are available for copying and/or viewing and how to order copies of transcripts. Transcripts with user restrictions are highlighted in bold type.
Biographical / Historical:
This collection contains the interviews for the Space Telescope History Project. These interviews examine the early planning and development of what would eventually be known as the Hubble Space Telescope (HST). The period covered is from the 1970s into the 1980s. This project constitutes one of several oral history projects carried out within the National Air and Space Museum's (NASM) Department of Space History. This interview set consists of over 235 hours of interviews with 94 individuals. Please note that there are a few instances where audio cassette tapes of the interview subjects exist but without written transcripts while there are a few cases of existing transcripts of the interviews without any audio cassette tapes. Those interviewed include astronomers, scientists, engineers, as well as administrators, all of whom were involved in the space telescope project. The following were interviewed for this project: Bob Adams, Ken Ando, Marcel Aucremanne, John N. Bahcall, Neta Bahcall, William Baum, Michael J.S. Belton, Marc Bensimon, Livingston Biddle, Robert C. Bless, Greg Boeshaar, Albert Boggess, III, John Brandt, Robert A. Brown, Bert Bulkin, Margaret E. Burbridge, J.J. Caldwell, Frank Carr, Clark R. Chapman, John Clark, Art Code, Frank V. Costa, Allan Cree, E.G. Danielson, Arthur Davidsen, Mike Disney, James A. Downey, III, Roger Doxsey, Frank K. Edmondson, James L. Elliot, Garvin Emmanuel, William G. Fastie, George Field, Don Fordyce, Laurence W. Fredrick, Riccardo Giaconi, Alan Goldberg, Edward Groth, Arun K. Guha, Don Hall, Richard Harms, Kitty Havens, Richard Henry, Noel Hinners, Donald Hunten, William W. Keathley, Warren J. Keller, Sam Keller, Ivan King, A.L. Lane, Barry Lasker, Robin J. Laurance, David Leckone, Malcolm Longair, John L. Lowrance, Duccio Macchetto, Bruce McCandless, Kent Meserve, Jesse L. Mitchell, Jim Moore, Max Nein, Don Noah, Memphis Norman, T. Bland Norris, James B. Odom, Jean R. Olivier, Charles Pellerin, Arthur J. Reetz, Jack Rehnberg, Evan Richards, Nancy Roman, James Rose, Jeffrey D. Rosendahl, Jane Russell, Ethan Schreier, Daniel J. Schroeder, Thomas J. Sherrill, Pete F. Simmons, Stanley Sobieski, Fred A. Speer, Lyman Spitzer, Peter Stockman, Ernst Stuhlinger, John Teem, Domenick Tenerelli, William G. Tifft, Rodger Thompson, Robert Trevino, Hendrick C. van de Hulst, Edward Weiler, James C. Welch, James A. Westphal, Richard L. White and Ray Zedekar.
General note:
Additional material: This collection consists only of the interview transcripts, not the tapes. The tapes are housed in the National Air and Space Museum Department of Space History.
Provenance:
Department of Space History, NASM, Transfer, 1999, 1999-0035, Varies.
Restrictions:
Some restrictions apply; see permission forms in the collection accession file.
Rights:
Material is subject to Smithsonian Terms of Use. Should you wish to use NASM material in any medium, please submit an Application for Permission to Reproduce NASM Material, available at Permissions Requests.
The Marian Gore "Art Scene" interviews and papers measure 2.2 linear feet and date from 1958 to 1969, with all sound recordings dated between 1962 and 1964. The core of the collection consists of 37 radio programs recorded by Marian Gore for KPFK radio in Los Angeles, California, consisting of interviews with artists, collectors, gallerists, and museum curators. A series of artist files contains notes, correspondence and other materials related to her interview subjects, and a printed materials series contains mainly exhibition posters, programs, and announcements produced by the art spaces with which her subjects were affiliated.
Scope and Contents:
The Marian Gore "Art Scene" interviews and papers measure 2.2 linear feet and date from 1958 to 1969, with all sound recordings dated between 1962 and 1964. The core of the collection consists of 37 radio programs recorded by Marion Gore for KPFK radio in Los Angeles, California, consisting of interviews with artists, collectors, gallerists, and museum curators. A series of artist files contains notes, correspondence and other materials related to her interview subjects, and a printed materials series contains mainly exhibition posters, programs, and announcements produced by the art spaces with which her subjects were affiliated.
Artist files include mainly brief, typewritten notes created for Gore's radio interviews, with the questions she asked her interview subjects and brief introductory or concluding remarks. Correspondence is also found in files for Robert Cremean, Iqbal Geoffrey, Balcomb Greene, Robert Mallary, Emilio Ortiz, and Esteban Vicente. Louise Nevelson's file also contains a transcript of her interview with Gore. Also found scattered in some files are notes, photographs, clippings, press releases, resumes, and exhibition programs. Note that not every person in this series has a corresponding sound recording in Series 1, and not every interviewee in Series 1 has a corresponding file in this series.
Most of the material in the Printed Materials series consists of exhibition announcements, programs, and posters from Galleries in the Los Angeles, California area, particularly those along La Cienega Boulevard. Of these, Ankrum Gallery, Ceeje Gallery, Comara Gallery, Dwan Gallery, Ferus Gallery, and Silvan Simone Gallery on Olympic Boulevard contain the most material, with many of the other files containing only one or two pieces. Of note are original prints promoting exhibitions at the Ferus and Ceeje Galleries, and a poster for an art walk along La Cienega Boulevard in the file for the Los Angeles County Museum of Art.
Arrangement:
The collection is arranged in 3 series:
Series 1: "Art Scene" Interviews (1.3 linear feet, Boxes 1-2, 4)
Series 2: Artist Files (0.2 linear feet, Boxes 2, 4)
Series 3: Printed Materials (0.7 linear feet, Boxes 3-4, OV 5)
Biographical / Historical:
Marian L. Gore (1914-2009) volunteered as a radio interviewer for KPFK between 1962-1964, conducting a series of interviews with Los Angeles-area artists, curators, collectors, and gallerists in response to a growing awareness of Los Angeles' rapidly growing role as a creative center and art market.
Born Marian Lucille Moore on Feb. 27, 1914, in Los Angeles to Fred and Lucille Moore. Fred Moore, an attorney, defended Nicola Sacco and Bartolomeo Vanzetti in the infamous 1921 trial. Following her divorce in the early 1960s, Gore approached the radio station KPFK, who was looking for someone to interview local artists. In a 1997 letter that accompanied her donation of the collection to the Archives, Gore writes,
"The early 1960's were an interesting and probably unique period for the Southern California art world. In Los Angeles on La Cienega Boulevard galleries had sprung up like mushrooms, and on Friday nights those who were interested in this scene would go from one gallery to another noting what artists were featured and what trends were apparent. It was a pleasurable way to meet artists as well as a social event where one could see friends and exchange impressions.
"Because I was searching for something to do, at the suggestion of a friend I had gone to radio station KPFK to volunteer my services in any way possible. It turned out to be a most fortuitous time for this offer. The management was interested in possible intervie3ws with artists, and so it all began. I had never done an interview in my life and was astounded to discover how easy it was to get artists, gallery owners, and even museum personnel to talk aobut what they did. Once this began I was swaped with requests for taped interviews, far more than I could manage."
Gore later became an antiquarian bookseller specializing in books on food and drink. She retired in 1994 and donated her book collection to the Los Angeles Public Library.
Provenance:
Donated 1997 by Marian Gore.
Restrictions:
Use of original papers requires an appointment.
Rights:
The KPFK "Art Scene" interviews are owned by the Archives of America Art, Smithsonian Institution. Literary rights as possessed by the donor have been dedicated to public use for research, study, and scholarship. The collection is subject to all copyright laws.
Topic:
Art -- Collectors and collecting -- California -- Los Angeles Search this
