George Bair
1922-1992
Biographical Information:
George E. Bair was born on June 29, 1922. He spent his professional life was concerned with education and communications. He taught at the University of Delaware Extension School and the University of Pennsylvania where he earned his MA and PhD degrees. In 1952, he taught English as an assistant professor at Clemson University, and in 1960, he became a full professor and served as acting head of the university's Department of Secondary Education until 1961.
From 1961 to 1969, Bair was the Director of education at the South Carolina ETV Network. There he supervised the first closed circuit educational television network which provided quality instruction to South Carolina schoolchildren. His next job, from 1969 to 1980, was as the first Director of Educational Television at UNC-TV, later the University of North Carolina Center for Public Television. During his tenure, the network added three new stations at Wilmington (1971), Greenville (1972), and Winston-Salem (1973).
Bair was professionally affiliated with both national and regional organizations. His involvement with the National Association of Educational Broadcasters spanned many years. In 1967, he was elected to the board of directors, and chaired the board from 1968 to 1969, and again from 1971 to 1974. Bair also chaired NAEB's Instruction Division in 1967 and served as a field consultant for the National Project for the Improvement of Television Instruction. In addition, he served on the NAEB Committee on Employment Practices of Educational Television beginning June 1968. Bair represented both the NAEB and the South Carolina Educational Television Commission before Congress in 1967 and 1969. In April 1967, Bair spoke before the Senate Commitee on Commerce concerning the public television act (S. 1160). Two years later, he spoke before the same committee concerning the extension of authorizations for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (S. 1242, H.R. 4212).
Bair's career included other organizational involvement. In April 1969, he was elected as a policy board member for the Great Plains National Instructional Television Library. Finally, he served as director for the Southern Educational Communications Association (SECA) and for the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) for many years.
George E. Bair died on March 27, 1992.
Bibliography:
Articles:- Bair, George E. "The Haunted House of Public Television: Reconceptualizing ETV's Self Image," Educational Broadcasting Review, Vol. 4, No. 5 (October 1970): pp. 3-7
- Bair, George E. "The Manager's Mission: Reflections of an 'Educational Broker,'" Public Telecommunications Review, Vol. 2, No. 6 (December 1974): pp. 9-10.
- Bair, George E. "San Francisco: Changing the Direction of ITV," Educational Instructional Broadcasting, Vol. 3, No. 2 (February 1970): pp. 15-20.
- Bair, George E. A report to the S.C. ETV Commission, fall, 1968. Columbia, SC: SC ETV Commission, 1968.
