An Oral History Program... to Be Proud Of

By: Luke Sprague Oral Historian

Spanish-American War to those veterans who most recently served in Afghanistan. The Wisconsin Veterans Museum Oral History Program began in June 1994 with the interview of a D-Day veteran from Madison. Mark Van Ells, the museum’s first archivist, conducted approximately two hundred interviews. Next, volunteer James McIntosh continued the work started by Van Ells and added another hundred interviews beginning in 1999.

In 2002, collections manager Gayle Martinson trained interviewers, expanding the volunteer force. These volunteers conducted hundreds of interviews increasing the depth and breadth of the collection. Major contributors with their first interview year listed are John K. Driscoll (2002), Terry MacDonald (2004), Jim Kurtz (2006), Ellen Bowers Healey (2008), and Rick Berry (2011).

The first person to hold the title of oral historian at WVM was Molly Graham, who served in that role from November 2011 to May 2013. Graham better structured the transcription process and audited the collection. The second oral historian Ellen B. Brooks oversaw changes to the program from November 2013 to December 2018. She initiated the transition away from audio tape to pure digital recording. Brooks began multiple oral history projects, including I Am Not Invisible, Do Tell!, Real Life Library, Hmong SGU, Faces in the Sand, Millennials at War, Voices from Afghanistan, WAR-RAW, and Listening to War. Luke D. Sprague took over as the third oral historian in April 2019. He documented the entire oral history workflow and benchmarked the throughput. During Sprague’s time, the oral history program transitioned from audio to video as the primary interview format, built a dedicated interview room, created a traveling oral history kiosk, and used remote sensing to enhance the gallery experience. In addition, Sprague improved online findability, usability, and access with the Oral History Metadata Synchronizer.

If you are interested in volunteering, please contact with Luke Sprague at luke. sprague@dva.wisconsin.gov or (608) 261-0537.

JULY 10, 2023

9 AM-5:30 PM

FOUR-PERSON SCRAMBLE

• "Hail Mary" Golf Ball Toss

• Putting Contest

• Prizes for Hole-In-One

• Prize Drawing Contest

• Trivia Contest

REGISTER BEFORE JUNE 10TH

$125 individual/$500 Foursome

REGISTER AFTER JUNE 10TH $150 individual/$600 Foursom E

REGISTRATION OPENS ONLINE

MONDAY, APRIL 10TH

To become a sponsor, contact: Jen Carlson at Jennifer.Carlson@wvmfoundation.com or call (608)576-2553