Claire Mallardi, 91, Dance Workshop Choreographer

During some four decades of teaching at Harvard, Ms. Mallardi helped pioneer the recognition of dance as an academic discipline at universities nationally, where before the pursuit had been almost solely the province of conservatories and schools for the performing arts.

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Why has WGBH had such an impact? Five views

Fred Barzyk: “I have asked several long time producers at WGBH to take a crack at the question of ‘Why does WGBH, a local public TV station in Boston, have such an impressive impact on media, culture and innovation?’ What follows are several responses to the question.”

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The foundations of WGBH: 84 Mass. Ave.

From Don Hallock: Many extraordinarily-gifted figures and luminaries of the day — in the arts, science, politics and education — found their ways into the halls and studios of the original WGBH-TV/FM studios at 84 Massachusetts Avenue.

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A stranger in a strange land

From Fred Barzyk: Bill insisted I try to get into the scholarship program. You studied for your graduate degree at Boston University and worked three days a week at the Educational Television station. Free tuition and you got $600 to live a year in Boston!

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Remembering the original WGBH

From Art Singer: Fifty one years ago this past September, on several late afternoons a week, I would take the twenty minute walk from BU across the Charles to the station’s studios on the MIT campus for a night’s work.

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Dave Davis, 81, WGBH Producer, Director, Manager

From Fred Barzyk At the age of 81 Dave passed away on May 23, 2007, in the kitchen of his home in Guyana. He and his wife Joyce had been retired and playing Jazz around the islands since 1993. From WGBH QuickNooz (by permission) — 8/20/2007 Sad news from the Caribbean: Former WGBH Station Manager…

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A tribute to Dave Davis

From Don Hallock As I remember, a 30 year old Dave Davis came to us at WGBH-TV from the University of North Carolina campus TV in 1957. That was the same year I, at 19, began in the scene shop as assistant to Peter Prodan. Dave was a musician and veteran television Producer-Director. He succeeded…

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Building a Network: EEN (1961-64)

This entry is part 6 of 12 in the series The Michael Ambrosino Collection

WGBH: The Early Years Skating Around the Rink (1956-60) Building a Network: EEN (1961-64) Going Public (1964-70) From Michael Ambrosino Ed: This is the second of three excerpts from Michael Ambrosino’s autobiography. In the first part, Skating Around the Rink, he described the early years at WGBH, an era of live and live-on-tape TV productions…

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Going Public (1964-1970)

This entry is part 7 of 12 in the series The Michael Ambrosino Collection

From Michael Ambrosino: I’ve never considered myself an intellectual; my memory and thought processes are just not good enough for true intellectual work. I do, however, have an insatiable curiosity and enjoy the world of ideas.

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Studio A (1967)

From David Atwood David Atwood (camera) and Steve Potter (dolly) shooting a 1967 production starring Lotte Lenya (Dave Davis directing). The monstrously unwieldy and notoriously unstable TK-60 camera, sporting a turret of four fixed lenses, is the last black and white model that RCA ever made. These guys are operating the equally unwieldy (though beloved)…

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Prospects of Mankind (1959–61)

From Paul Noble Preparing for a taping of “Prospects of Mankind.” Left to right, Bob Moscone, Dave Davis, Virginia Kassel (behind Dave), Paul Noble, and Eleanor Roosevelt, at Slosberg Music Center, Brandeis University, fall 1959. Mrs. Roosevelt and her staff. Henry Morgenthau, Eleanor Roosevelt, Paul Noble, and Diana Tead Michaelis, fall 1959. Edward R. Murrow,…

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Ruth Anne’s Christmas Show (1950s)

From Brooks Leffler Ruth Anne’s Christmas Show. Not the parody Christmas show, the real thing. Staff was invited to be the campers for the day, and Ruth Anne led them in a kids’ song, the name of which escapes me. Note: this pic is a Photoshop marriage of two pics that didn’t quite match. Visible:…

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Not the News with Louis Lyons (1950s)

From Vic Washkevich The WGBH viewing audience never saw these two newscasters. Vic Washkevich (who contributed this picture) explains: "Oh, here’s shot of Hartford Gunn (Paul Noble) and Dave Davis (Bill Heitz) reporting the news due to budget constraints and Louis Lyons’ nap.

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