MORS Oral
History Program
MORS Oral History grew out of the well established Oral
History program of the US Army which originated during World War II as a method
to support Chief of Staff General George C. Marshall's program to preserve and
collect documentary sources that could be used to prepare the Army's official
history of the war. Recognizing that an interview was a principle way to collect
this history, over 2000 interviews were conducted in the European theater alone.*
The Army Oral History program continued to grow and flourish with these
techniques again being used in Korea and then Vietnam. In the 1970's the Senior
Officer Oral History program was established at the Army War College by Army
Chief of Staff General William C. Westmoreland to convey the experiences and
qualities of successful retired senior officers to the younger officers enrolled
in the War College. As the Army's program continued to grow, the Center of
Military History created an Oral History Activity in 1986 to coordinate issues
concerning the Army's Oral History programs and subsequently Army Regulation
8705, Military History: Responsibilities, Policies, and Procedures, was revised
to include a chapter on oral history.
Earliest records indicate that during March of 1989, an Army
Operations Research Oral History Program was initiated by Mr. Walter Hollis, FS,
Deputy Under Secretary of the Army (Operations Research). Mr. Hollis solicited
the talents of then retired Dr. Wilbur B. Payne, FS, VWA (1987), (TRASANA) who
conducted two interviews. The first Army interviews were of Dr. Hugh Cole, the
last president of Research Analysis Corporation (RAC) and of Mr. Floyd Hill of
the Ballistics Research Laboratory (BRL). Dr. Cole was a WWII Historian and Mr.
Hill a distinguished weapon system analysts. In Winter-Spring of 1992, this task
was assigned by Mr. Hollis to Mr. Eugene P. Visco, FS. Mr. Visco with assistance
from Dr. James Williams and LTC Lawrence Epstein conducted eight additional
interviews. These (ten in all) Army interviews remain unpublished pending Army
release but have been retained by Mr. Visco as part of his Heritage support to
MORS. After his retirement from federal service, Mr. Visco recommended that MORS
pick up the "baton" and perform additional oral history interviews
concentrating on pioneer MORSians and early MORS Fellows of the Society. Under
the guidance of MORS Vice Presidents for Professional Affairs, Dr. Sheldon, FS
and CAPT Lee Dick and Heritage Committee Chairs Ted Smyth, FS and Mr. Jack
Marriott, Mr. Visco established the MORS Oral History Program in 1997-1998.
Supported by Dr. Sheldon and Mr. Smyth, the first MORS Oral History interviews
were accomplished in 1999 by Mr. Visco, FS for Mr. Clayton J. Thomas, FS, VWA (1988)
and USAF Sponsors Rep, Air Force Studies and Analyses (AFSAA) and Mr. Ralph
Beatty, Anti-Submarine Warfare Operations Research Group (ASWORG). Mr. Thomas's
Oral History was published in Military Operations Research Volume 4
Number 2 and Mr. Beatty's in Volume 9 Number 3. Assisted by Mr. Marriott, the
next Oral History interview was conducted for Mr. Visco, by Dr. Sheldon in 2001
which was published in Military Operations Research Volume 6 Number 2 and
PHALANX Volume 34 Number 2.
Under the auspices of the Heritage Committee Chair, Mr. Mike Garrambone,
additional impetus was placed on the Oral History program with the planning and
assignment of volunteers to conduct additional Oral Histories. As a result, two
more were conducted in 2002, the first by Mr. Greg Keethler for Dr. Marion
Williams, FS and the second was for Dr. John Honig, PP and Past Chairman MAS,
published in Military Operations Research Volume 9 Number 1 by Dr.
Sheldon. But Mr. Garrambone's planning along with Dr. Sheldon's initiative came
to full fruition in 2003 with the following interviews being completed: Dean
Wayne Hughes (PP, FS, VWA) by Dr. Sheldon and Mr. Garrambone and Mr. Richard
Wiles (FS, MORS Executive Vice President Emeritus) (published in Military
Operations Research Volume 8 Number 2), Dr Alfred Rhodes, PP, FS, Dr. Alfred
Lieberman, FS and Dr. Jack Englund, PP, FS all by Dr. Sheldon. Dr. Sheldon also
conducted Oral History interviews with Ginny Wiles and Natalie Kelly, both of
whom have contributed so much to the Society, which was intended to be included
as a part of the 40th Anniversary legacy. In 2004, Dr. Sheldon continued his
extraordinary pace with additional interviews of Ms. Amie Hoeber, PP; Mr. George
Dimon, PP, FS; Dr. David Shrady, PP, FS; Dr. Phil Depoy (Past President CNA);
General Welch, VWA, Past President IDA; and, Mr. Irv Kapos (MORS Pioneer and
founding director). Additionally, Mr. Garrambone completed an interview with Dr.
Jack Borsting, PP, FS.
Conducting an Oral History is by no means a small task. There is a considerable
amount of effort that goes into both planning and in the translation and
preparation of a ready for publication draft. The first step of the MORS Oral
History is to maintain a list of candidates. This is accomplished by the
Heritage Committee and presented semi-annually to the Board of Directors.
Interviewers are solicited and assigned by the Heritage Committee chairman and
the lead interviewer then makes contact with the individual to set up the
interview and obtain some preliminary information. Interviewers then must do
their homework to research the individual being interviewed in order to develop
and outline and to prepare questions relevant to the individual being
interviewed. Once the interview has been completed, the tapes are professionally
translated and then returned to the interviewer who does the first quality check
for mis-translations, errors, etc. A clean draft is then returned to the
interviewee to review. Final reviews are conducted by two members of the
Heritage Committee before the draft is submitted to the MORS office for staff
review and readying for publication.
Oral History is a living history of the unique life experience's of Operations
Research icons. It is a vital tool for understanding the recent past through the
eyes of our analytical leaders. It is an interactive, shared history which
preserves the memories of these leaders and allows us and future generations to
understand and relive their life experiences. If we don't preserve these
memories, they will be lost forever.
Acronyms
CNA - Center for Naval Analysis
FS - MORS Fellow of the Society
PP -
* Oral History Techniques and Procedures, Stephen E. Everett, Center of
Military History, U.S. Army, Washington D.C. 1992
