William Griffin Gnaedinger was born in Wallace, Idaho, on October 15, 1910. In 1934 he received a B. S. at the University of Idaho in Moscow, married Miss Irene Carlson, and moved 25 miles south to begin a teaching career in the Lapwai public schools. From 1936 to 1940 he was a teacher in the junior and senior high schools of nearby Lewiston, Idaho, as well as the part-time audio-visual director. Moving to Washington State University (then the State College of Washington) in 1940 as Director of the Audio-Visual Center, Gnaedinger was instrumental in the development of the uses of films and other media in classroom instruction in the Pacific Northwest. "During his years as Director of the Audio-Visual Center he made his impact felt across the State and Nation.... The film library in the Audio-Visual Center at Washington State not only was first in the State in the establishment of many patterns of operation, it still is a leader.... And the relationship between the Audio-Visual Center as a service function on campus and in the training of teachers and media specialists in the Department of Education is unequaled in the State." (Richard L. Hawk. "Personalities in Washington: William G. Gnaedinger," Resources for Teaching and Learning, 7:2 (Winter 1971: 22.)
During this period as Director of the Audio-Visual Center, Gnaedinger was also active in several professional organizations. "He is one of the 'founding fathers' of WDAVI [Washington Department of Audio Visual Instruction], and his contributions to that organization are extensive. He was executive secretary from 1950 through 1954, and was President twice (1941 and 1964)." (Hawk, 22) In addition, from 1962 to 1965 he was on the Executive Board of the National Education Association's Division of Audio Visual Instruction (DAVI).
Following his long tenure as Director of the Audio-Visual Center, Gnaedinger moved into library administration, a situation only possible where audio-visual activities are coordinated within the library. In his job as Associate Director of Libraries at WSU he has moved on to bigger budgets, staffs, and programs to develop. In his present capacity he is able to employ all the years of experience he gained as an audiovisual administrator to help run the ever-enlarging and developing library program, including the Audio-Visual Center." (Hawk, 25) After serving as the Associate Director of the WSU Libraries since 1965, Gnaedinger retired on July 1, 1974, and was awarded the title Associate Director Emeritus of Libraries in recognition of his many contributions to the University community and to education in general.
The papers of William G. Gnaedinger consist of that portion of his office files which could be considered both personal and professional. According to Gnaedinger his files were completely purged in 1965 when he moved from the Audio-Visual Center to his new position as Associate Director of Libraries.
The papers consist of three major series: that dealing with audio-visual education in the WSU Department of Education, and those dealing with the national and state audiovisual organizations: DAVI and WDAVI. Correspondence, memoranda, notes on committees and other activities of the two organizations are represented. Also included are Gnaedinger's contributions to the history of the two organizations, especially his "A History of the Washington Department of Audio-Visual Instruction, NEA."
Additionally, there is a file of general correspondence, primarily of the kind considered both personal and professional; a file on his Fulbright teaching grant to Norway, 1954-1955; and a folder of correspondence and drafts of articles for the 1973 and 1974 Bowker Educational Media Yearbook. A partial file of Gnaedinger's published articles and unpublished speeches and addresses before various groups provide a picture of his professional concerns from his earliest days as an audio-visual administrator.
Arranged into three series.
This collection is open and available for research use.
Copyright restrictions may apply.
[Item description]
William Griffin Gnaedinger Papers, 1937-1974 (Cage 67)
Manuscripts, Archives, and Special Collections, Washington State University Libraries, Pullman, WA.
The papers of William G. Gnaedinger were deposited in the Washington State University Library by Mr. Gnaedinger on June 28, 1974.
William Griffin Gnaedinger Papers, 1892-1976
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