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Dean W. Coston Papers

Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: http://hdl.handle.net/1903.1/1553

Abstract

Title:
Dean W. Coston Papers
Author/Creator:
Coston, Dean W.
Collection number:
NPBA 93-74
Size:
4.00 linear feet
Bulk dates:
1967-1969
Inclusive dates:
1965-1969
Collection Area:
Mass Media and Culture
Repository:
Special Collections, University of Maryland Libraries, Hornbake Library, College Park, MD 20742. Tel: 301-405-9212, Fax: 301-314-2709, Email: askhornbake@umd.edu
Abstract:

Dean W. Coston first worked for WUOM, Ann Arbor, as chief engineer from 1948 to 1961. In 1961, he joined the Department of Health, Education and Welfare in 1961 as Special Assistant to the Assistant Secretary (Legislation). In 1963, he became Deputy Assistant Secretary, and was Deputy Under-Secretary by 1966. His main concern was the development, implementation and administration of legislation in various areas including education. Coston helped advance the cause of radio by including it in the Public Broadcasting Act of 1967, which he helped write. The collection documents Coston's involvement with the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare's Task Force on Educational Television and the passage of the Public Broadcasting Act of 1967.

Important Information for Users of the Collection

Restrictions:

This collection is open for research use.

Preferred citation:

Dean W. Coston Papers, Special Collections, University of Maryland Libraries.

Publication rights:

Photocopies of original materials may be provided for a fee and at the discretion of the curator. Please see our Duplication of Materials page for more information. Queries regarding publication rights and copyright status of materials within this collection should be directed to the appropriate curator.

Status:

This collection is PROCESSED.

Historical Note

Dean W. Coston was born in New York in July 1923. He attended University of Michigan, where he got both an A.B. and a M.A. degree.

Coston taught high school in Michigan, and was on the radio-television staff at the University of Michigan in 1948. He also worked as chief engineer at WUOM, Ann Arbor. While in Michigan, he held many public office positions including City Councilman, Ann Arbor; County Supervisor, Washtenaw County, Michigan; and Chairman, County Building Code Commission.

He joined the Department of Health, Education and Welfare in 1961 as Special Assistant to the Assistant Secretary (Legislation). In 1963, Coston became Deputy Assistant Secretary. By January 1966, he was Deputy Under-Secretary. His chief concern was the development, implementation and administration of legislation in areas including education. His responsibilities included inter-agency communications, extensive dealings with Congress, and Federal-state-local relationships. Among the legislative enactments that he was concerned with were: The Kefauver-Harris Drug Amendments of 1962; the Drug Abuse Control Act; The Clean Air Act (1963, 1965, 1967) and the Public Broadcasting Act (1962-1967). In fact, Coston helped advance the cause of educational radio by including it in the Public Broadcasting Act of 1967, which he helped write. Finally, he served as a representative of DHEW to many commissions and councils, including the Consumer Advisory Council and the Water Resources Council. He also belonged to the President's Task Force on Communications Policy.

Scope and Contents of the Collection

The Dean W. Coston Papers cover the dates April 1965 to January 1969, with the bulk of the collection from 1967 to 1969, and contains some undated material. The collection documents Coston's involvement with the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare's Task Force on Educational Television and the passage of the Public Broadcasting Act of 1967. Types of documents include correspondence, memoranda, reports, newsletters, House and Senate Committee prints of legislation, and transcripts of congressional testimony.

Custodial History and Acquisition Information

The Dean W. Coston Papers were given to the National Public Broadcasting Archives, University of Maryland Libraries by Dean W. Coston in May of 1993 and June of 1999.

Processing Information

Processed by:

Mike Mashon, November 1993. Revised by Karen King, March 1994

Encoded by:

EAD markup created using EAD database in Microsoft Access. Markup completed by Karen E. King, May 2004.

Detailed Description of the Collection

Series 1: The Public Broadcasting Act of 1967, 1966-1967 (3.50 linear feet)

This series documents the evolution of the Public Broadcasting Act of 1967, including materials related to both the House (H.R. 6736) and Senate (S.1160) versions. Other materials include the House and Senate factbooks, both of which contain summaries, public testimony, and fact sheets pertaining to the legislation. In addition, this series contains various committee and DHEW versions of the legislation, plus miscellaneous correspondence relating to the Public Broadcasting Act. The documents are arranged into the House and Senate versions, and chronologically within that division.

DescriptionSeriesBox / ReelFolder / Frame
House Factbook, 1967 series 1box 1folder 1
House Factbook, 1967 series 1box 1folder 2
H.R. 6736, March-August 1967 series 1box 1folder 3
Senate Factbook, 1967 series 1box 1folder 4
Senate Factbook, 1967 series 1box 1folder 5
S.1160, March 1967 series 1box 1folder 6
S.1160, April 1967 series 1box 1folder 7
S.1160, April 1967 series 1box 1folder 8
S.1160, May 1967 series 1box 1folder 9
S.1160, May 1967 series 1box 1folder 10
S.1160, June 1967 - February 1968 series 1box 1folder 11
Title III, February 1967 series 1box 1folder 12
Title III, April - November 1967 series 1box 1folder 13
Comparisons and Summaries (Includes oversize), April - June 1967 series 1box 1folder 14
Comparative Committee Print (Oversize), 1967 series 1box 4folder 1
Photograph: Coston shaking hands with President Lyndon B. Johnson, 1967 series 1box 4folder 2
Pen used by President Lyndon B. Johnson in signing the Public Broadcasting Act of 1967 series 1box 4folder 3

Series 2: Educational Television, 1965-1967 (0.50 linear foot)

This series contains early drafts and proposals that eventually led to the Public Broadcasting Act as well as correspondence from the Office of Education and the Carnegie Commission. A subseries is devoted to plans for financing public broadcasting, and includes the work of the Task Force on Financing Public Broadcasting and reports from the Carnegie Commission, the Treasury Department, and the President's Council of Economic Advisors. The materials are arranged chronologically.

DescriptionSeriesBox / ReelFolder / Frame
Task Force on Educational Television, April 1965 - October 1966 series 2box 2folder 1
Task Force on Educational Television, October 1966 - March 1967 series 2box 2folder 2
Miscellaneous Correspondence, May 1966 - January 1967 series 2box 2folder 3
Miscellaneous Correspondence, February - July 1967 series 2box 2folder 4
Miscellaneous Correspondence -- Task Force on Financing Public Broadcasting, September - October 1967 series 2box 2folder 5
Miscellaneous Correspondence -- Task Force on Financing Public Broadcasting, September - October 1967 series 2box 2folder 6
Miscellaneous Correspondence -- Task Force on Financing Public Broadcasting, September - October 1967 series 2box 2folder 7
Miscellaneous Financial Correspondence, October 1966-March 1967 series 2box 2folder 8
Miscellaneous Financial Correspondence, August - September 1967 series 2box 2folder 9
Miscellaneous Financial Correspondence, undated series 2box 2folder 10

Series 3: Educational Television Facilities Act, 1966, 1969 (3 folders)

This series consists of documents and correspondence related to the proposed extension of the Educational Television Facilities Act for fiscal year 1967.

DescriptionSeriesBox / ReelFolder / Frame
FY1967 Extension, March-November 1966 series 3box 2folder 11
FY1969 Factbook, 1969 series 3box 3folder 1
FY1969 Factbook, 1969 series 3box 3folder 2

Series 4: DHEW Legislation, 1967-1969 and undated (3 folders)

This series is devoted to proposed legislation from the Department of Health, Education and Welfare (DHEW) for fiscal years 1968 and 1969, for both public broadcasting in particular and DHEW legislative strategy in general. Most of the correspondence originates in the Department's Legislative Division.

DescriptionSeriesBox / ReelFolder / Frame
Public Broadcasting Act, November 1967-May 1968 series 4box 3folder 3
DHEW Legislative Program, November 1968 - January 1969 series 4box 3folder 4
DHEW Legislative Program, nd series 4box 3folder 5

Series 5: Federal Communications Commission, 1965-1968 (4 folders)

This series contains materials related to FCC proposed rule-making on domestic satellites and other communications issues that had an impact on public broadcasting. Included are comments from the Communications Satellite Corporation (COMSAT), the National Association of Educational Broadcasters, and the Ford Foundation. Notable correspondents include Leonard Goldenson, President of the American Broadcasting Company (ABC).

DescriptionSeriesBox / ReelFolder / Frame
Correspondence, December 1965-August 1966 series 5box 3folder 6
Correspondence, December 1966-September 1968 series 5box 3folder 7
Correspondence, October 1968 series 5box 3folder 8
Correspondence, October 1968 series 5box 3folder 9

Series 6: Corporation for Public Broadcasting, 1967-1968 (2 folders)

This series documents the nomination of various individuals for the CPB Board. It contains the resumes of Warren Bush, Henry Morgenthau III, George Probst and others. Notable correspondents include Walter Mondale, Vance Hartke, and Morris Udall.

DescriptionSeriesBox / ReelFolder / Frame
Correspondence, August - November 1967 series 6box 3folder 10
Correspondence, December 1967 - August 1968 series 6box 3folder 11

Related Material

For other related archival and manuscript collections, please see the following subject guides.

Education

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