The HistoryMakers® Video Oral History Interview with Bill Campbell



Overview of the Item

Repository: The HistoryMakers
1900 S. Michigan Avenue
Chicago, Illinois 60616
(312) 674-1900
info@thehistorymakers.com
http://www.thehistorymakers.com
Interviewer: Julianna Richardson
Videographer: Scott Stearns
Title:Video Oral History Interview with Bill Campbell
Dates:May 03, 2001
Abstract: (ABSTRACT)
Quantity: 4 Betacam SP videocassettes, 1 half-Hollinger box containing (NUMBER) folders of accompanying materials.
Identification: A2001.008
Language: The interviews and records are in English

Biographical Note

As host and producer of WLS-7's Chicagoing and the station's director of community services, Bill Campbell has been bridging the gap between media and community his entire career.

Born on Chicago's South Side, Campbell was surrounded by the arts and sciences as an adolescent. His father was a chemist who graduated with honors from the University of Chicago and his mother a visual artist who attended the School of the Art Institute. After graduating from Carleton College with a B.A. in urban studies, Campbell worked as a program specialist in the Chicago mayor's office and later became director of communications for the Chicago Urban League.

In 1978, Campbell was hired as director of community services and soon began hosting and producing the popular weekly newsmagazine Chicagoing. For his work, Campbell has won three Chicago Emmys for Outstanding Editorial Achievement.

Aside from his activities at WLS-TV, Campbell sits on several advisory boards, including the board of directors for the National Conference for Community and Justice - Northern Illinois, and the Cultural Affairs Advisory Board for the city of Chicago.

Campbell has been recognized several times for his contributions to the community. He received the Chicago Urban League's Beautiful People Award in 1985; the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Freedom Award from St. Sabrina Church in 1984; and the Communications Excellence Award from the Cosmopolitan Chamber of Commerce in 1988.

Biographical Note by The HistoryMakers®

Scope and Contents

This life oral history interview with Bill Campbell was conducted by Julianna Richardson on 2001-05-03 in Historymakers Studio, Chicago, Illinois and is recorded on 4 30-minute Betacam SP videocassettes. Access copies exist on Betacam SP, VHS, DVD and MPEG-1. The interview contains information on (COMPLETE ONE SENTENCE DESCRIPTION OF INTERVIEW). Accompanying materials in the collection include Bill Campbell's correspondence with The HistoryMakers® related to the interview; a copy of the signed release form and the production report; the biographical information used by the interviewer to prepare for the interview (DETAILS); paper copies of the interview transcripts, 3 1/2" floppy disks with electronic copies of the transcripts; selected quotes for video clips; photocopies of photographs captured on video; XML files with metadata created in editing and cataloguing the interview for The HistoryMakers Digital Video Library; and paper copies of these XML files.

Restrictions

Restrictions on Access

Access to paper records is restricted. Other restrictions may be applied on a case-by-case basis.

Restrictions on Use

All use of materials must be pre-approved by The HistoryMakers® and appropriate credit must be given. All use credits must be pre-approved by The HistoryMakers®. Copyright is held by The HistoryMakers®.

Index Terms

This record series is indexed under the following controlled access terms.
Contributors:
Campbell, Bill
Richardson, Julianna
Stearns, Scott
Persons:
(PERSONS)
Corporate Bodies:
(CORPORATE BODIES)
Family Names:
Campbell
Places:
(PLACES)
Subjects:
(SUBJECTS)
Document Types:
Video oral history interview
Titles:
The HistoryMakers® Video Oral History Interview with Bill Campbell

Related Material

Accompanying materials: Accompanying materials are filed in (NUMBER) folders in a half-Hollinger box and shelved at The HistoryMakers® Archives and Collection Library by accession number, separately from the videos.

Administrative Information

Location of Originals

Betacam, VHS, DVD and MPEG-1 access copies are held for in-house use at The HistoryMakers®; Betacam SP, VHS and DVD playback hardware is provided for in-house viewing of the access copies; MPEG-1 copies are searchable and viewable via a digital video database.

Preferred Citation

The HistoryMakers® Video Oral History Interview with Bill Campbell, May 03, 2001. The HistoryMakers® African American Video Oral History Collection, 1900 S. Michigan Avenue Chicago, Illinois.

Detailed Description/Tape Listings

Video Oral History Interview with Bill Campbell, Tape 1, May 03, 2001, TRT: 00:34:24.

This segment opens with 20+ photos of Bill Campbell, spanning his birth to adulthood. He also shares his favorite things and some of his family history. His maternal grandfather was an active supporter of Wilberforce University of Ohio. He discusses his father's background as a scientist, educated at the University of Chicago, who could only find a position as a lab technician even though he held a master's degree. Campbell closes with a recollection of his first encounter with being on television, a harbinger of things to come.


Video Oral History Interview with Bill Campbell, Tape 2, May 03, 2001, TRT: 00:29:50.

Bill Campbell has a wonderful time recounting his childhood and a once in a lifetime chance to interview Bill Cosby for his high school paper. He remebers the kindness of Daddy-O Dailey in securing the interview and Daddy-O's impact on his future career. Campbell also offers his perspective on segregation and racism he observed and experienced in Chicago as a youth. Growing up in the Roseland neighborhood, Campbell details how the construction of the Dan Ryan Expressway symbolized the schism between races and how it even impacts him today.


Video Oral History Interview with Bill Campbell, Tape 3, May 03, 2001, TRT: 00:31:17.

Bill Campbell recounts a great story of how he ended up attending Carleton College in Northfield, Minnesota and talks about Carleton's enduring imprint on his life. Campbell tells the story of how he and some fellow classmates lobbied for the inclusion of Africa in Carleton's study abroad program, of which he was part of the first group of students to travel there. After a harrowing medical crisis in France, Campbell recalls his near-death experience and its impact on dealing with his mother's death and his personal philosophy. Finally, Campbell talks about transitioning from college to the working world and how he moved from working for the Urban League to Mayor Richard J. Daley's administration to WLS-Channel 7 in Chicago.


Video Oral History Interview with Bill Campbell, Tape 4, May 03, 2001, TRT: 00:30:11.

Bill Campbell recalls his first jobs during and immediately after graduating from Carleton College and returning to Chicago. President Lyndon Johnson's Great Society programs provided a multitude of opportunities for young African Americans. Bill Campbell was one of those young graduates who joined the "Model Cities" program, which placed him on the path to his future sucess. He recounts his desire to work in broadcast television and how he siezed the opportunity. After more than 23 years in broadcast journalism, Campbell reflects on the state of African Americans in and on the media. He also discusses the importance of spirituality in guiding his life and hopes his legacy will be one of love and service.