OSU English professor researches WWII radio, television

Michael Clark Staff Reporter

Oklahoma State University English Professor Stacy Takacs was awarded a National Endowment for the Humanities fellowship.

NEH fellowships are competitive awards that are granted to help scholars work on projects that are related to the humanities and the public. The fellowship gives recipients time to focus solely on their projects, but NEH expects a complete commitment to the project. Recipients cannot teach or partake in activities that would detract from their project.

The fellowship helped her work on her manuscript titled “We Bring You Home: The American Forces Network and US Militarism Post-WWII.”

The novel analyzes the American Forces Radio and Television Service across its 80 years of use.

“I took a research trip to the National Archives and Records Administration in College Park, Maryland, early in the term to complete some research that was delayed by COVID closures,” Takacs said. “Once that was done, I sat, and I wrote, and I sat, and I wrote. In seven months, I completed two full chapters and four smaller vignettes that will be featured as insets in the book.” Takacs said she is eager to look deeper into gaps in history.

“While at the National Archive, I discovered a trove of important material related to AFN’s use as a public diplomacy tool during the Cold War,” Takacs said. “I also discovered a gap related to my research on Vietnam. I will be returning at the end of April to plug that hole and tighten up that chapter.”

Jeff Menne, Department of English head, said he was impressed by Takacs dedication and praised her for her ambitious project.

“Dr. Takacs is a rigorous researcher, as this book and the NEH fellowship attest, but she brings the same level of rigor to the classroom, and our students benefit from it,” Menne said. “She models analytical thinking for her students and is impressive in the classroom.”

Takacs looks forward to her upcoming work and spreading the word about her findings and said she would like to create a geographic information system map of AFRTS radio and TV stations from 1942 through the present day to illustrate the growth cycles of the network and the broader‘empire of bases it serves/

“I’d hope to make that accessible online,” Takacs said. “ I’d also like to share my archive of materials, which is extensive, on `the web.”

John Kinder, director of the American Studies program, took note of the strong precedent this sets for researchers in this region. “I hope this accomplishment reminds students, faculty and fellow Oklahomans why research universities such as OSU are so valuable,” Kinder said. “It’s because our faculty members are not only award-winning teachers but also world-class scholars.

Dr. Takacs has already amassed a career’s worth of accomplishments — and I have little doubt that the best is yet to come.” news.ed@ocolly.com