T. Harry Williams Center for Oral History Collection
ABSTRACT
INTERVIEWEE NAME: Oscar G. Richard
COLLECTION: 4700.0359
IDENTIFICATION: Former Head of LSU Office of Public Relations
INTERVIEWER: Everett Besch and Quinn Coco
PROJECT: LSU History
DATES: September 9, 1993; October 5, 1993; October 12, 1993; October 26, 1993.
FOCUS DATES: 1950's-1970's
ABSTRACT:
Tape 527
Where Richard was born; Sunshine Louisiana; going to school in Sunshine; family name and history; watching the fire at the old downtown location LSU campus; family members that worked on the LSU campus; the Pentagon; Junior Division; ROTC; declaring a major; where the School of Journalism was located; the department of geology; the founding of LSU; enrolling in the aviation cadets part of the Army Air Corps; basic training and leaving for Europe; buzz bombs; getting shot down in Germany and becoming a prisoner of war at Stalag One; German view of prisoners of war; liberation by Russian army; the long journey home; roads leading from Sunshine to Baton Rouge; the deepening of University Lake; Richard's return to America after the war; employment after the war and getting a job at LSU; LSU Public Relations; writing and producing the biennial report.
Tape 528
Office of Public Relations; Marvin Osborn former head of the School of Journalism; location of School of Journalism; staff at the Office of Public Relations when Richard joined; the working relationship between the Office of Public Relations and the Legislator; publications that the Office of Public Relations was responsible for in the 1950's; the centralization of the publication office in the mid-sixties; the LSU catalog; incorporating LSU history into the catalog; creating a pictorial history of the campus; the responsibilities of the Office of Public Relations to the entire campus prior to the move to a System; the reasons for centralizing publications; integration and Tureaud; the expansion of staff for Office of Public Relations; photographic facilities and hiring a full time photographer; the creation of LSU-New Orleans; the development of the System; the effect of the creation of the System on the Office of Public Relations; the Cresap and McCormick study; administrative reorganization under the System; the splitting of the campus and separation of different schools; the publication of FYI later renamed at LSU Today and the LSU Outlook; other publications produced by the Office of Public Relations; the television news service and Media Services; other responsibilities that the Head of the Office of Public Relations had including the Anglo-American Art Museum and the Rural Life Museum.
Tape 512
The Athletic Department's Sports Information Office; splitting off of McNeese, Nicholls and Shreveport campuses; responsibilities of the Office of Public Relations with respect to University objectives; the Management Board for the University and the Constitutional Convention; the 1940 Act of the Legislature; the working relationship with the Athletic Department; relationship with media; Al Crouch; relationship with The Reveille; bomb threats on campus; the Emergency Committee and the response to Hurricane David; Sea Grant Status and the Center for Wetland Resources; programs that the Office of Public Relations developed for the celebration of the dedication of the French House after renovation; activities of the Office of Public Relations during the United States bicentennial celebrations in 1976; the significance of April 30th to LSU; the University centennial in 1960; the LSU Foundation; the synthetic protein project cooperative effort between the LSU Foundation and the Becthel Corporation; how the Office of Public Relations handled campus scandals; the Art Swanson case; the Credit Union and the insurance marketing incident.
Tape 513
Campus political involvement; history and stories about the LSU mascot Mike the Tiger; LSU extension programs in Costa Rica; Norman Efferson the first Ag-Center Chancellor; Harald W. Stoke former President of the University; departmental problems on campus and the involvement of Public Relations; memories of General Middleton; contrast between Stoke and Gen. Middleton; aspects of Gen. Middleton's military career; the Battle of Bastonge; the campus use of nature gas; John Hunter former Dean of Student Services and later; contrast between Woodin and Hunter; political involvement of Chancellors; the retirement system for the campus; John Hunter's political activities; Governor McKeithan; cars that officials drove and policies regarding cars; administrative expansion on the campus; budgetary concerns; contrast and comparisons of strengths and weaknesses between former Chancellors Wharton, Taylor, and Murrill.
TAPES: 527, 528, 512, 513
TOTAL PLAYING TIME: 5.5 Hours
PAGES TRANSCRIPT: 326
RESTRICTIONS: None
Abstract prepared by Persephone Hintlian.