About the Program

 

 

Mission Statement

 

The Reichelt Oral History Program strives to:

1. Develop and conduct oral history projects in such a manner as to provide a diverse, coherent and integrated body of sources for use by scholars and the interested public. The emphasis will be divided between oral history sources important to the historical record of Tallahassee and Florida State University, and those important to the historical record of World War II, the Korean conflict and the Vietnam War.

2. Collect and process interviews in accordance with the highest standards of the oral history field.

3. Work with regional, national and international professional oral history organizations.

4. Assist citizen groups and organizations within the state with identifying and collecting oral history materials through training workshops and lectures.

5. Play an active role in training graduate and undergraduate students in the field of oral history collection and research.

Origins of the Program

 

The FSU oral history collection began in 1969 under the direction of Professor Edward F. Keuchel. Renamed the Reichelt (pronounced Rye-kelt) Oral History Program in 1999, the project honors the memory and generous support of Emeritus Professor Wallace Ward Reichelt, a long-time faculty member in the History Department at FSU. The collection documents the history of Florida State College for Women (1905-1947) and Florida State University, as well as Tallahassee and the state of Florida. In 1995, the program expanded to include interviews involving military experiences, emphasizing World War II, the Korean conflict and Vietnam.

 

Contributors

 

The Reichelt Oral History Program obtains its subjects both as volunteers and by invitation. Dr. Robin Sellers, director of the program, trains graduate and undergraduate students in oral history techniques each year, and many of the interviews they conduct in the process are accepted into the collection. If you are interested in contributing your story to the collection, see the Contributing an Interview section for details.

 

About the Director

 

Dr. Robin Jeanne Sellers is an Associate in History at Florida State University, where she teaches United States history in addition to directing the Reichelt Oral History Program and training students in oral history techniques. She is the author of Femina Perfecta: The Genesis of Florida State University (FSU Foundation, 1995) and co-author of Family, Community and Business Enterprise: The Millers of Crescent City, Florida (Century Press, 1998) with Edward F. Keuchel.