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Papers of
Raymond D. Hurlbert
Processed by: Susan McElrath, November 1991
Revised by: Karen King, March 1997
0.50 lin. ft.
Biography | Scope and Content | Provenance | Series Descriptions
Raymond D. Hurlbert was born on March 21, 1902 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, to Ernest Sanford and Alice Lillian Jenkins Hurlbert. His parents moved to Birmingham, Alabama, in 1906. He received his B.A. from Birmingham Southern College in 1924. Upon graduation, Hurlbert took a position as a high school teacher in Birmingham. Meanwhile, he returned to Birmingham Southern College to study for a masters degree, completing his studies in 1936.
Prior to his association with public television, Hurlbert was elementary school principal in the Birmingham City School System from 1930 to 1955, and was Chairman of its Public Relations Committee. Meanwhile, he served as first President in 1948 and then Trustee in 1949 of the Alabama Educational Association. In addition, he was elected President of both the Birmingham Teachers Association and the Alabama Elementary Principals' Association.
Hurlbert's career in public broadcasting began in the early fifties with his work to establish the Alabama Public Television Network. He also helped to establish the Alabama Educational Television Commission and was its first President from 1953 to 1955, when he became its first and only General Manager in 1955, retiring from his principal job in Birmingham. After twenty years in Alabama educational television, Hurlbert retired in March of 1973 to work as a consultant for R.P.I. Consultant Services. Hurlbert also participated nationally in educational and public broadcasting. He served as the chairman of the Board of the ETV Division of the National Association of Educational Broadcasters from 1962 to 1963. He was also a member of the National Association of Educational Television (NAET), becoming its president in 1968. Hurlbert was recognized by President Lyndon Johnson for his significant role in the establishment and funding of National Educational Television. Furthermore, his frequent testimony before Congressional committees on behalf of the Public Broadcasting Act was influential in swaying political support for the measure.
Raymond D. Hurlbert died in 1996.
The Papers of Raymond D. Hurlbert document his work as General Manager of the Alabama Educational Television Commission and in particular its creation, and his participation in the legislative hearings concerning educational and then public broadcasting. This collection covers the period from 1953 to 1975. It contains articles, certificates of appreciation, clippings, correspondence, hearings, legislation, minutes, publications, speeches, and statements. Notable correspondents include William G. Harley, John C. Schwarzwalder, Chalmers H. Marquis, and Douglass Cater.
The collection consists of two series:
- Series 1: Alabama Educational Television Commission
- Series 2: Educational and Public Broadcasting - Legislation
The Papers of Raymond D. Hurlbert were donated to the National Public Broadcasting Archives, University of Maryland Libraries by Raymond D. Hurlbert in June of 1991 and January of 1993.
Series 1: Alabama Educational Television Commission, 1953-1975 (0.25 lin. ft.)
This series documents Hurlbert's work as General Manager of the Alabama Educational Television Commission and in particular the creation of the Commission. It includes articles, certificates of appreciation, clippings, correspondence, legislation, minutes, publications, speeches, and statements. The arrangement is alphabetical by subject or document type.
Series 2: Educational and Public Broadcasting, 1958-1967 (0.25 lin. ft.)
This series documents Hurlbert's participation in Congressional hearings from 1958 to 1967, the year the Public Broadcasting Act passed. Representing Alabama Educational Television, Hurlbert testified on matters including the use of television facilities by educational institutions, and the question of copyright. The materials are arranged in chronological order, and are portions of the proceedings with some accompanying notes.
A complete guide in Adobe Acrobat (*.pdf) format can be downloaded here.
