Thursday, November 15, 2007

Unexpected Find

When you produce a documentary like this, one of the best aspects is getting unexpected gifts --- archival items that you didn't know were out there. Marylin Slatick of Montgomery Preservation, Inc. and oral history researcher Walter Conklin dropped one of those unexpected gifts on our desk the other day in the form of an old, yellowed newspaper article about former station agent Russell Main. The Maryland News, September 3, 1964 issue features a write-up under the banner "Kathy Leary's Column" about Russell Main's retirement as station agent after 47 years of service. Better yet, there is a photo of Mr. Main and his wife Virginia with the station platform in the background. We were really excited about this, because none of the other photos we had of Mr. Main and his family placed him in the context of the station. Now Line Producer Jimmy F. Cooney is on a mission to see if there's a photo archive that might hold this image from the Maryland News (now defunct). He's checking with the Montgomery County Historical Society. Fingers crossed, because the yellowed, pointillist-looking newspaper photo will not hold up too well on television. Go Jimmy. And thanks Walter & Marilyn!

3 comments:

Robert said...

I believe the Maryland News was published by the Lee family. They had or have company archives in the Lee Building at Colesville and Georgia. They had old issues of the newspaper, but I don't know if they have the photos.

Bob Oshel

Anonymous said...

I grew up on Kalmia Road starting in 1939. Delivered the Times Herald Newspaper at the Spring Gardens Apartment. Played as a kid near the 1860's Lee Mansion nearby. Heard the steam whistles and later Diesel horns of trains stopping at Silver Spring. Remember ambulance trains coming through there with WWII wounded. Please advise if I may see this documentary via DSL broadband. Thanks in advance, Charlie Griffith.

Unknown said...

I am his grandson and would enjoying seeing the picture, John