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Papers of
Frank W. Norwood
Processed by: Charles E. Howell
July 1995
20.0 lin. ft.
Biography | Scope and Content | Provenance | Series Descriptions
Frank W. Norwood was born in New York City in 1928. He received his B.A. from Queens College in Flushing, NY in 1950, and continued on at that institution as a Speech Fellow, receiving his M.A. in 1951.
His first position after graduation was as an Instructor in Speech at the University of Missouri in Columbia. This term of employment was interrupted in 1952 when Mr. Norwood was drafted into the U.S. Army. From 1952 until 1954, Mr. Norwood served first as a Specialist in Radio-Television and Public Information, and later as the Head of the Radio-TV Branch of the Public Information Office for Operation FLASH BURN.
In 1954, Mr. Norwood returned to his position at the University of Missouri, where he took on additional responsibilities as Writer-Producer of University Programs at KOMY-TV, Channel 8 in Columbia, Missouri. In 1955 Mr. Norwood left the University of Missouri for a stint as the assistant to Keith Tyler, the Director of the Institute for Education by Radio-Television at Ohio State University. He returned to Missouri the following year as a Writer-Producer for FM radio KSLH, which was operated by the St. Louis Board of Education.
In 1957, Norwood started a post as Assistant Professor in Speech Arts at San Diego State University, later becoming an Associate Professor in 1960. During his time at San Diego State, Mr. Norwood also served as General Manager of noncommercial FM station KEBS and Television Coordinator for the University. Mr. Norwood left San Diego University in 1966 for a position with the National Center for School and College Television in Bloomington, Indiana as a Program Associate for Higher Education. While serving in this capacity Mr. Norwood also held a joint appointment as an Associate Professor at Indiana University.
In 1968 Mr. Norwood left academia for the job that would occupy his energies for practically the rest of his career. He accepted the position of Executive Director of the Joint Council on Educational Telecommunications, a consortium of nonprofit educational and communications organizations. Among the accomplishments of the JCET under Mr. Norwood's tenure was the adoption of an international frequency allocation for broadcast satellites. This action opened the wasy for Health/Education Telecommunications experiments on NASA's ATS-6 satellite. The JCET played a part in these experiments as well as those undertaken on a joint U.S.-Canada venture, the Communications Technology Satellite, then the most powerful in earth orbit. Mr. Norwood served as chairman of the Evaluation Working Group for U.S. experiments, and helped to organize the Joint User's Meeting from which he produced the first U.S.-Canadian television broadcast transmitted by the CTS.
Mr. Norwood continued to write and lecture throughout his association with the JCET. Representative articles include "Technology in the Service of Rural Education" for the National Institute of Education; "The Impact of Satellites on Networks" for the FCC; and "The Emerging Telecommunications Environment" in Networks for Networkers. He lectured before the Royal Society in London, the Latin American Institute of Educational Communications in Mexico City and in Europe for the U.S. International Communications Agency. He also attended literally hundreds of communication-related conferences around the globe on behalf of the JCET, most notably presenting papers at the International Astronautical Federation Congresses in Prague (1977) and Munich (1979).
Toward the latter part of his time with JCET Mr. Norwood began to establish himself as an independent consultant on telecommunications, cable and satellite issues. While still with the JCET, Mr. Norwood fulfilled contracts for the Department of Health, Education and Welfare, the Carnegie Commission and the Sloan Foundation. To facilitate this growing work, Mr. Norwood founded Communications Planning and Management, Inc., a company which became the focus of his professional activities upon the near collapse of the JCET, which resulted in the termination of its entire full-time staff in 1982. Mr. Norwood was engaged in several interesting projects, including development of a college cable and satellite system known as the Campus Entertainment Network, when his untimely death cut his work short in 1983.
Mr. Norwood was a founding member of the Public Service Satellite Consortium and served on the Board of Directors of National Educational Radio, the Western Radio-Television Association and the National Association of Educational Broadcasters (1961-1963).
The Papers of Frank W. Norwood span the years 1952 to 1983. The bulk of the collection dates from the early 1970's to 1983, with a fair amount of material from the 1960's. Only a small amount of the collection predates 1960. The material mostly covers Mr. Norwood's time at the JCET, though a good amount of the collection document's Mr. Norwood's consulting activities. Types of documents in the collectin include articles and journals, position papers, letters and memos, government documents, contract and bid materials, conference materials, meeting minutes, commercial brochures and the handwritten notes of Mr. Norwood. A small amount of nonprint material is also included in the form of photos and videotape.
The collection consists of seven series:
- Series 1: Joint Council on Educational Telecommunications
- Series 2: Public and Educational Broadcasting
- Series 3: Satellite Communication Materials
- Series 4: Telecommunications and Cable Television Materials
- Series 5: Publications
- Series 6: Personal Papers of Mr. Norwood
- Series 7: Nonprint Materials
The Papers of Frank W. Norwood was donated to the National Public Broadcasting Archives, University of Maryland Libraries by Mrs. Shirley Norwood in 1991.
Series 1: Joint Council on Educational Telecommunications, 1968-1983 (4.0 lin. ft.)
This series consists of five subseries, covering the various areas of activity of the JCET during Mr. Norwood's affiliation with the Council. Included are JCET documents of a general nature, files dealing with conferences and seminars, materials on various aspects of copyright law as it relates to educational issues, FCC documents and newsletters, issue papers and other publications of the JCET. Materials are arranged alphabetically within the subseries, though the grouping of like materials in the general documents subseries occasionally violates this arrangement. Also, the FCC documents are arranged by Docket number.
Series 2: Public and Educational Broadcasting, 1972-1983 (1.25 lin. ft.)
This series consists of four subseries dealing with various public and educational broadcasting entities. Materials dealing with the Corporation of Public Broadcasting, the Public Broadcasting Service and National Public Radio are included, as well as a subseries of PBS memos. Materials are arranged chronologically within each subseries.
Series 3: Satellite Communications Materials, 1968-1983 (2.5 lin. ft.)
This series consists of six subseries, containing a wide range of satellite-related documents. Included are documents pertaining to the Public Service Satellite Consortium, NASA, the United Nations and the World Administrative Radio Conferences, as well as a number of satellite brochures, some satellite-related articles and some miscellaneous materials. Items are arranged chronologically within each subseries.
Series 4: Telecommunications and Cable Television Materials, 1971-1983 (4.0 lin. ft.)
This diverse series contains five subseries, dealing with various cable-delivered technologies. Files on both commercial and educational CATV, teleconferencing and video conferencing are included, as well as articles on tele-education, remote adult continuing education and information and brochures and teletext and videotext. Items are arranged chronologically within each subseries.
Series 5: Publications, 1945-1983 (5.0 lin. ft.)
This large series contains six subseries, including journal notes and indices handwritten by Mr. Norwood, a variety of communications-related journals and publications, a group of miscellaneous articles and pamphlets by various authors and publications produced by business and industry. Materials are arranged alphabetically by title or author, and chronologically where applicable.
Series 6: Personal Papers of Frank W. Norwood, 1964-1983 (3.0 lin. ft.)
Series 6 predominantly contains papers related to Mr. Norwood's activities out the JCET. Included are four subseries, including numerous articles by Mr. Norwood (arranged alphabetically by title), a large number of items from Mr. Norwood's consulting business, papers from Mr. Norwood's teaching career and some miscellaneous personal materials. Materials are arranged chronologically if not otherwise indicated.
Series 7: Nonprint Materials, undated (0.25 lin. ft.)
This small series contains one folder of photographs composed mainly of miscellaneous group shots at conferences and some head shots of Mr. Norwood. There is also a video tape of episode four of a program called The Pappenheimers.
