Ben J. Plastino Papers, 1947-1998
Table of Contents
Overview of the Collection
- Creator
- Plastino, Ben J.
- Title
- Ben J. Plastino Papers
- Dates
- 1947-1998 (inclusive)
- Quantity
- 1 cubic feet
- Collection Number
- MG 632
- Summary
- Contains political articles written for The Post Register, letters from elected officials and political leaders, photographs, and copies of the books Coming of Age: Idaho Falls and the Idaho National Engineering Laboratory and The Eastern Idaho Flood Story.
- Repository
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University of Idaho Library, Special Collections and Archives
Special Collections and Archives
University of Idaho Library
875 Perimeter Drive
MS 2350
Moscow, ID
83844-2350
Telephone: 2088850845
libspec@uidaho.edu - Access Restrictions
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Collection is open for research
- Languages
- English
Historical Note
Ben J. Plastino, the son of Italian immigrants who were early pioneers of Market Lake, Idaho, made his mark on Idaho as a newspaperman and community leader for over fifty years.
A native of southeastern Idaho, Ben returned to Idaho Falls after graduating from the University of Idaho in 1932 in journalism, when it was very challenging to achieve a college degree during the height of the Great Depression, and then having spent nine years as a reporter at the Lewiston Morning Tribune.
He joined the Idaho Falls Post Register in 1942 where he remained for forty-one years, first as a reporter and city editor, and then rising to managing editor, political editor, and executive editor.
Ben fully embraced his life as a journalist, and his devotion to that profession was evident in his five decades of coverage of the Idaho Legislature; his interviews with every United States President since Franklin Roosevelt, except for Eisenhower; and nearly all presidential, vice presidential, Idaho congressional, State and local officials and candidates. He provided ringside coverage of such regional events as the establishment and maturation of the Idaho National Laboratory, the Yellowstone earthquake, the Teton Dam failure, and of every major political and environmental issue affecting Idaho.
Ben was a prolific writer, producing tens of thousands of straight news and opinion pieces, and typing them all on his trusty manual Underwood typewriter, until computers were introduced into the newsroom; and he usually took his own photographs.
To commemorate his retirement, the Idaho Legislature passed a resolution in 1982 honoring his fifty years of reporting. In part, it states,
"…we recognize the contributions of Ben Plastino to the vigorous free press in the state of Idaho. We recognize the unique perspective he brings to reports, giving the reader benefit of his experience and insight, providing the background which makes today's events comprehensible in the historical perspective. Ben Plastino has consistently respected the role of journalists and maintained a healthy adversary relationship with personalities making news. His commitment to the concepts of a free press has contributed to the maintenance of freedom in our society. On the occasion of his fortieth [sic] anniversary with the Post Register, and over fifty years reporting politics in Idaho, we acknowledge the contributions of Ben Plastino and commend him for a job well done."
Ben took his obligation to newspaper readers very seriously, believing readers were smart and that his job was to present the news fairly and completely so his readers could make up their own minds about the important issues of the day. Yet, he also relished stating his own views and the reasons for them in thousands of twice-weekly opinion pieces.
Ben had an excellent record predicting the outcome of Idaho political races through the decades, because he, each election year, did what he called the "Valley Swing", driving up and down the Upper Snake River Valley interviewing farmers in the field, barbers and clients in the shop, buyers in the grocery stores, and others of every station in life to understand the issues that were important to them, and how that translated to their vote.
Ben felt very lucky to have the opportunity to devote his work life to something he professionally believed in and enthusiastically loved.
He maintained an abundant zest for life and a great enjoyment of people. He felt it paramount to treat people fairly and with respect.
Ben loved Idaho, and especially his home in southeastern Idaho. He felt it was an obligation for every citizen to contribute to their community. He was a member of many organizations in Idaho, receiving significant awards and honors for his incisive yet fair work. Among them were the Seventh Judicial District Liberty Bell Award, which now permanently bears his name; and the Idaho Statesman's Distinguished Citizen Award.
Ben met his future wife, Margaret St. Clair, at the Bonneville County Courthouse in 1948, when, as a Registered Nurse, Margaret was the only full-time employee of the County public health system. She also had a very long and storied career, attending to those without other options for medical care in the County, and vaccinating thousands of citizens. Upon her death at almost 104, she was the oldest Registered Nurse in Idaho, having received her nurses' cap in 1939. She was a wise and engaged observer of the political scene, as well. They had three daughters: Donna, Diane and Paula. Ben died in 1995 in Idaho Falls, at the age of 86.
(Biographical sketch provided by Plastino's daughter, Diane Plastino Graves)
Content Description
The Ben J. Plastino papers span the years 19947-1998 and include over 915 political articles and opinion papers written by Plastino while he was Executive Editor and Political Editor of the Idaho Falls newspaper, The Post Register. Additionally, the collection includes letters from elected officials and other political leaders written to Plastino, photographs taken by Plastino, and copies of the books Coming of Age: Idaho Falls and the Idaho National Engineering Laboratory and The Eastern Idaho Flood Story.
Other Descriptive Information
Available for public access with copyright restrictions.
Use of the Collection
Preferred Citation
FOR PHOTOS: Photographer, "Title," date. Collection name, object ID. University of Idaho Library Special Collections and Archives, Moscow, ID.
FOR DOCUMENTS: Author, Description or "Title" of item, date. Collection name, collection number, box, folder. University of Idaho Library Special Collections and Archives, Moscow, ID.
Administrative Information
Arrangement
Materials are arranged by general, overarching topic and numbered accordingly. Folders 1-11 contain articles on Idaho election politics; Folders 12-25 contain articles on Idaho legislative news; Folders 26-27 contain articles on national politics; Folders 28-29 contain articles on local politics; Folders 30-32 contain articles on additional miscellaneous topics and oversized articles; Folders 33-36 contain non-newspaper materials including books, letters, and photographs.
Detailed Description of the Collection
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Series 1:
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Description: ID Election Politics 1/1141 items : Contains newspaper clippings of articles written by Ben J. Plastino in The Post Register. Articles cover topics of Idaho legislature, senate, and state election politics.Dates: 18 March 1976-26 July 1987Container: Box 1, Folder 1
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Description: ID Election Politics 2/1131 items : Contains newspaper clippings of articles written by Ben J. Plastino in The Post Register. Articles cover topics of Idaho legislature, senate, and state election politics.Dates: 17 March 1976-19 February 1981Container: Box 1, Folder 2
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Description: ID Election Politics 3/1127 items : Contains newspaper clippings and photocopies of articles written by Ben J. Plastino in The Post Register. Articles cover topics of Idaho legislature, senate, and state election politics.Dates: 18 March 1976-4 December 1983Container: Box 1, Folder 3
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Description: ID Election Politics 4/1132 items : Contains newspaper clippings of articles written by Ben J. Plastino in The Post Register. Articles cover topics of Idaho legislature, senate, and state election politics.Dates: January 1977-30 October 1988Container: Box 1, Folder 4
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Description: ID Election Politics 5/1133 items : Contains newspaper clippings of articles written by Ben J. Plastino in The Post Register. Articles cover topics of Idaho legislature, senate, and state election politics.Dates: 26 April 1981-2 June 1983Container: Box 1, Folder 5
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Description: ID Election Politics 6/1136 items : Contains newspaper clippings of articles written by Ben J. Plastino in The Post Register. Articles cover topics of Idaho legislature, senate, and state election politics.Dates: 3 December 1980-13 March 1983Container: Box 1, Folder 6
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Description: ID Election Politics 7/1134 items : Contains newspaper clippings of articles written by Ben J. Plastino in The Post Register. Articles cover topics of Idaho legislature, senate, and state election politics.Dates: 2 February 1982-22 September 1985Container: Box 1, Folder 7
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Description: ID Election Politics 8/1132 items : Contains newspaper clippings of articles written by Ben J. Plastino in The Post Register. Articles cover topics of Idaho legislature, senate, and state election politics.Dates: 19 December 1976-29 December 1985Container: Box 1, Folder 8
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Description: ID Election Politics 9/1128 items : Contains newspaper clippings of articles written by Ben J. Plastino in The Post Register. Articles cover topics of Idaho legislature, senate, and state election politics.Dates: 1 May 1980-5 June 1988Container: Box 1, Folder 9
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Description: ID Election Politics 10/1130 items : Contains newspaper clippings of articles written by Ben J. Plastino in The Post Register. Articles cover topics of Idaho legislature, senate, and state election politics.Dates: 9 January 1980-14 April 1985Container: Box 1, Folder 10
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Description: ID Election Politics 11/1127 items : Contains newspaper clippings of articles written by Ben J. Plastino in The Post Register. Articles cover topics of Idaho legislature, senate, and state election politics.Dates: 11 August 1971-10 August 1983Container: Box 1, Folder 11
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Description: ID Legislative News 1/1443 items : Contains newspaper clippings of articles written by Ben J. Plastino in The Post Register. Articles cover Idaho legislative news and elections.Dates: 16 January 1980-23 October 1983Container: Box 1, Folder 12
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Description: ID Legislative News 2/1432 items : Contains newspaper clippings of articles written by Ben J. Plastino in The Post Register. Articles cover Idaho legislative news and elections.Dates: 10 December 1980-30 December 1981Container: Box 1, Folder 13
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Description: ID Legislative News 3/1434 items : Contains newspaper clippings of articles written by Ben J. Plastino in The Post Register. Articles cover Idaho legislative news and elections.Dates: 5 February 1981-22 September 1983Container: Box 1, Folder 14
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Description: ID Legislative News 4/1437 items : Contains newspaper clippings of articles written by Ben J. Plastino in The Post Register. Articles cover Idaho legislative news and elections.Dates: 5 July 1981-21 September 1983Container: Box 1, Folder 15
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Description: ID Legislative News 5/1437 items : Contains newspaper clippings of articles written by Ben J. Plastino in The Post Register. Articles cover Idaho legislative news and elections.Dates: 3 January 1982-3 August 1983Container: Box 1, Folder 16
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Description: ID Legislative news 6/1432 items : Contains newspaper clippings of articles written by Ben J. Plastino in The Post Register. Articles cover Idaho legislative news and elections.Dates: 19 December 1979-22 December 1985Container: Box 1, Folder 17
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Description: ID Legislative News 7/1428 items : Contains newspaper clippings of articles written by Ben J. Plastino in The Post Register. Articles cover Idaho legislative news and elections.Dates: 6 December 1979-31 December 1980Container: Box 1, Folder 18
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Description: ID Legislative News 8/1433 items : Contains newspaper clippings of articles written by Ben J. Plastino in The Post Register. Articles cover Idaho legislative news and elections.Dates: 28 February 1980-17 April 1985Container: Box 1, Folder 19
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Description: ID Legislative News 9/1431 items : Contains newspaper clippings of articles written by Ben J. Plastino in The Post Register. Articles cover Idaho legislative news and elections.Dates: 27 January 1980-19 April 1981Container: Box 1, Folder 20
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Description: ID Legislative News 10/1436 items : Contains newspaper clippings of articles written by Ben J. Plastino in The Post Register. Articles cover Idaho legislative news and elections.Dates: 26 December 1979-29 April 1982Container: Box 1, Folder 21
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Description: ID Legislative News 11/1429 items : Contains newspaper clippings of articles written by Ben J. Plastino in The Post Register. Articles cover Idaho legislative news and elections.Dates: 1971-26 October 1983Container: Box 1, Folder 22
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Description: ID Legislative News 12/1425 items : Contains newspaper clippings of articles written by Ben J. Plastino in The Post Register. Articles cover Idaho legislative news and elections.Dates: 19 February 1970-11 January 1987Container: Box 1, Folder 23
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Description: ID Legislative News 13/1423 items : Contains newspaper clippings of articles written by Ben J. Plastino in The Post Register. Articles cover Idaho legislative news and elections.Dates: 11 March 1970-18 September 1988Container: Box 1, Folder 24
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Description: ID Legislative News 14/1424 items : Contains newspaper clippings of articles written by Ben J. Plastino in The Post Register. Articles cover Idaho legislative news and elections.Dates: 29 October 1978-30 December 1979Container: Box 1, Folder 25
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Description: National Politics 1/224 items : Contains newspaper clippings of articles written by Ben J. Plastino in The Post Register. Articles cover national U.S. politics and election news.Dates: 16 November 1977-24 January 1980Container: Box 1, Folder 26
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Description: National Politics 2/222 items : Contains newspaper clippings of articles written by Ben J. Plastino in The Post Register. Articles cover national U.S. politics and election news.Dates: 3 January 1980-27 November 1988Container: Box 1, Folder 27
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Description: Local Politics 1/224 items : Contains newspaper clippings of articles written by Ben J. Plastino in The Post Register. Articles cover politics local to Idaho Falls and nearby towns.Dates: 14 January 1979-23 October 1983Container: Box 1, Folder 28
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Description: Local Politics 2/226 items : Contains newspaper clippings of articles written by Ben J. Plastino in The Post Register. Articles cover politics local to Idaho Falls and nearby towns.Dates: 25 October 1979-10 July 1988Container: Box 1, Folder 29
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Description: Teton Dam Collapse8 items : Contains newspaper clippings of articles written by Ben J. Plastino in The Post Register on the Teton Dam collapse.Dates: 6 June 1976-12 October 1988Container: Box 1, Folder 30
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Description: Other Topics11 items : Contains newspaper clippings of miscellaneous articles written by Ben J. Plastino. Topics include Boise State University, college football, Idaho winter weather, and an Idaho political forum, among others.Dates: 15 December 1968-26 August 1981Container: Box 1, Folder 31
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Description: Oversized Items5 items : Contains full-page newspaper clippings from The Post Register containing articles written by Ben J. Plastino. Articles cover topics of Idaho legislature and local politics.Dates: 18 March 1979-26 October 1983Container: Box 1, Folder 32
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Description: The Eastern Idaho Flood Story1 item : Contains "The Eastern Idaho Flood Story", a book recounting a 1962 Eastern Idaho flood, accompanied with pictures of the event. Book is printed by The Falls Printing Co. and includes photos by John P. Dermott, Reed Rasmussen, Harry Ames, Keith Barrette, and Melville Studio.Dates: February 1962Container: Box 1, Folder 33
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Description: Coming of Age: Idaho Falls and the INEL1 item : Contains "Coming of Age: Idaho Falls and the Idaho National Engineering Laboratory 1949-1990" by Ben J. Plastino. The book covers the INEL's history, leaders, operations, and additional overview topics.Dates: 1998Container: Box 1, Folder 34
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Description: Letters to Ben Plastino51 items : Contains letters and postcards written from elected officials and other political leaders to Ben J. Plastino.Dates: 24 September 1947-28 September 1998Container: Box 1, Folder 35
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Description: Photos by Ben Plastino46 items : Contains photos of local Idaho political figures, including Senator Frank Church, Governor John V. Evans, Congressman George V. Hansen, Governor Cecil D. Andrus, and various Idaho legislative members, among others. Also includes photos of national political figures, including Jimmy Carter and John F. Kennedy. Two envelopes of photo negatives also included.Dates: 2 July 1970-January 1983Container: Box 1, Folder 36
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Names and SubjectsReturn to Top
Subject Terms
- Alumni and alumnae
- Clippings (Books, newspapers, etc.)
- University of Idaho
Geographical Names
- Idaho Falls (Idaho)
