Historian Donates Autograph Collection to UCO
- Nov 06, 2007 -
Bob Burke first started collecting autographs in the 1960s. Through his years of working in sports broadcasting and in radio, he has collected thousands of autographs.
Bob Burke first started collecting autographs in the 1960s. Through his years of working in sports broadcasting and in radio, he has collected thousands of autographs.
Bob Burke first started collecting autographs in the 1960s.
Through his years of working in sports broadcasting and in radio, he has collected thousands of autographs, including signatures on movie posters, pictures and scripts.
Burke, an Oklahoma historian, author and attorney, said that through his years of collecting, he has never displayed his television- and film-oriented autographs.
Now, he's sharing them with University of Central Oklahoma students with the donation of a portion of his autograph collection to the College of Liberal Arts.
The television and film portion of his collection, valued at an estimated $300,000, will be housed in the Max Chambers Library where film studies students will be able to use it in research projects.
"I started collecting autographs when I was in junior high and Barry Goldwater was running for president," Burke said. "I wrote him a letter and he sent me an autographed picture."
Burke said he wanted to share his collection with UCO students because three of his six children were students there and because he came to know more about the university through university President Roger Webb and former university President George Nigh.
"George gave me a great love of UCO," Burke said.
Pamela Washington, dean of the College of Liberal Arts, said film studies students might use the collection to study the different ways stars were marketed in the '30s and '40s compared with now, she said.
"(Burke) has a real heart for students and he loves film. He is just a very generous man," Washington said.
The collection of nearly 480 pieces has everything from film stars such as James Stewart to stars of today such as Angelina Jolie.
Burke said he got James Stewart's autograph when Stewart was part owner of KTOK while Burke worked there. Others he got while working in California and New York as a broadcaster, he said.
"There is just something for everyone to look at, something that touches everybody,” said Lisa Antonelli, director of development for the College of Liberal Arts. "We are so thrilled to receive a collection like this. It just captures our culture in a way that others cannot."
Besides the collection, Burke also donated $10,000 to help with the $90,000 renovation of a film screening room in the Communications Building at UCO. Some of the work will be completed over the holiday break and will continue through the rest of the summer.
Professors will display portions of the collection in the film screening room to coordinate with curriculum, Antonelli said. For example, posters from the era students are studying will be on display and can be rotated with other posters in the collection when they start another topic.
Through his years of working in sports broadcasting and in radio, he has collected thousands of autographs, including signatures on movie posters, pictures and scripts.
Burke, an Oklahoma historian, author and attorney, said that through his years of collecting, he has never displayed his television- and film-oriented autographs.
Now, he's sharing them with University of Central Oklahoma students with the donation of a portion of his autograph collection to the College of Liberal Arts.
The television and film portion of his collection, valued at an estimated $300,000, will be housed in the Max Chambers Library where film studies students will be able to use it in research projects.
"I started collecting autographs when I was in junior high and Barry Goldwater was running for president," Burke said. "I wrote him a letter and he sent me an autographed picture."
Burke said he wanted to share his collection with UCO students because three of his six children were students there and because he came to know more about the university through university President Roger Webb and former university President George Nigh.
"George gave me a great love of UCO," Burke said.
Pamela Washington, dean of the College of Liberal Arts, said film studies students might use the collection to study the different ways stars were marketed in the '30s and '40s compared with now, she said.
"(Burke) has a real heart for students and he loves film. He is just a very generous man," Washington said.
The collection of nearly 480 pieces has everything from film stars such as James Stewart to stars of today such as Angelina Jolie.
Burke said he got James Stewart's autograph when Stewart was part owner of KTOK while Burke worked there. Others he got while working in California and New York as a broadcaster, he said.
"There is just something for everyone to look at, something that touches everybody,” said Lisa Antonelli, director of development for the College of Liberal Arts. "We are so thrilled to receive a collection like this. It just captures our culture in a way that others cannot."
Besides the collection, Burke also donated $10,000 to help with the $90,000 renovation of a film screening room in the Communications Building at UCO. Some of the work will be completed over the holiday break and will continue through the rest of the summer.
Professors will display portions of the collection in the film screening room to coordinate with curriculum, Antonelli said. For example, posters from the era students are studying will be on display and can be rotated with other posters in the collection when they start another topic.
