Carolyn Spector Papers, 1990-2001

Overview of the Collection

Creator
Carolyn Spector
Title
Carolyn Spector Papers
Dates
1990-2001 (inclusive)
Quantity
.5 cubic feet, (1 document box)
Collection Number
M-005
Summary
Carolyn Spector broadcast book reviews on KLCC-FM, a public radio station in Eugene, Oregon. The book reviews aired twice per month on KLCC's Northwest Passage for 12 years, 1990-2001. The collection includes the book review scripts, lists of the titles and authors of the books reviewed, and correspondence.
Repository
Lane Community College Archives
4000 East 30th Avenue
Eugene, OR
97405
Telephone: 5414635466
archives@lanecc.edu
Access Restrictions

There are no access restrictions. The collection is open for research.

Languages
English
Sponsor
Funding for encoding this finding aid was provided through a grant awarded by the National Endowment for the Humanities.

Biographical NoteReturn to Top

Carolyn Spector was born Carolyn Gaines on May 27th, 1937, in Chicago. Raised in Highland Park and Glenco, Illinois, she attended New Trier High School, graduating in 1955. She is a graduate of Brown University with a B.A. in French and spent her junior year at the Sorbonne in Paris. That was followed by two years at the University of Chicago where she received an M.A. in Teaching. She also did postgraduate work at the University of Oregon.

Carolyn had two children, Robert Spector and Miriam Sincere by a former husband, Norman. In 1971 she taught French at a middle school operated by the University of Wisconsin in Stevens Point, Wisconsin. The following year she was transferred to a similar school in Oshkosh, Wisconsin.

In 1974 the family moved to Eugene. Carolyn was a substitute teacher for several school districts in the area. Beginning in 1977, she taught French for Lane Community College through the Adult Education program, continuing until her retirement in 1994. She also taught at the Looking Glass Shelter for two years.

She married John Bredesen in August, 1983. Carolyn was an avid knitter and reader. She loved to travel, with a two week wildlife photo safari to Botswana being a special highlight. She was the volunteer book reviewer for KLCC for twelve years and KLCC's Heart of the Arts Super Volunteer for 2000. She was also a volunteer with the Eugene Symphony.

Carolyn Spector died August 27, 2001, of cancer. She was 64.

Content DescriptionReturn to Top

The Carolyn Spector Papers contain the scripts of the book reviews written by Carolyn and broadcast on KLCC-FM radio from January 1990 to July 2001. The book reviews were aired twice a month on Northwest Passage, KLCC's afternoon local news program. Most of the books reviewed were written by authors from the Pacific Northwest or were about the Northwest. The theme music played in the background for both the book reviews and the promos was composed and played by her son, Robert Spector.

The collection contains the scripts of the book reviews, with notations of the date the review was aired, and the promos, brief announcements which contained information about an upcoming book review and were used to promote the book reviews. The collection also contains lists of the books reviewed. There are only a few letters in the correspondence series.

Use of the CollectionReturn to Top

Restrictions on Use

Permission to publish the book reviews must be obtained from KLCC-FM radio.

Preferred Citation

Carolyn Spector Papers, 1990-2001 (M-005), Lane Community College Archives, Eugene, Oregon

Administrative InformationReturn to Top

Arrangement

The collection is divided into two series.

A. Book Review Lists and Scripts, 1990-2001

B. Correspondence, 1991-1998

Acquisition Information

The collection was donated by John Bredesen in 2003.

Processing Note

The collection was processed by Elizabeth Uhlig in 2003.

Related Materials

A complete list of the book reviews is available on the Archives website. The List of Book Review Scripts (MSWord document) contains the title of the book reviewed, the name of author, and the date the review was broadcast on KLCC.

Book Review List

KLCC-FM maintains a Carolyn Spector, KLCC Book Reviewer website. The website contains a conversation between Carolyn and Tripp Sommer; tributes to Carolyn from her husband and staff at KLCC; recordings of some of Carolyn's book reviews, 1999-2001; and the text version of selected reviews.

Carolyn Spector, KLCC Book Reviewer

Detailed Description of the CollectionReturn to Top

The following section contains a detailed listing of the materials in the collection.

Series A:   Book Review Lists and Scripts, 1990-2001Return to Top

Container(s) Description Dates
Box/Folder
1/1-5
Book Lists
This series contains lists of the books that were reviewed by Carolyn Spector. The lists were compiled from the KLCC Program Guides which list the date the review was aired and the title and author of the book reviewed. The series also contains book lists prepared by Carolyn Spector with notations on whether the Eugene and Springfield public libraries have copies of the reviewed books in their collections.
1990-2001
Box
1/6-16
Book Review Scripts
The scripts are the book reviews written by Carolyn Spector. The dates when the reviews were written and aired are noted on the scripts. Promos (brief announcements about the book reviews broadcast by KLCC prior to the actual review) are handwritten by Carolyn in the upper right-hand corner of the script. Times are given for both the promo (approximately 30 seconds) and for the review (approximately 3 minutes).
1990-2001

Series B:  Correspondence, 1991, 1998Return to Top

This series contains several letters written to Carolyn Spector about her book reviews.

Container(s) Description Dates
Box
1/17
Correspondence
1991, 1998

Names and SubjectsReturn to Top

Subject Terms

  • Community colleges--Oregon
  • Universities and colleges--Oregon

Personal Names

  • Spector, Carolyn, 1937-2001

Corporate Names

  • KLCC-FM
  • Lane Community College (Eugene, Or.)