Callahan Museum invites public to celebrate 75th anniversary of Talking Books, Saturday November 18, at marathon recording session
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: November 2006
American Printing House for the Blind’s Callahan Museum invites the public to celebrate the 75th anniversary of Talking Books, Saturday November 18, at a marathon recording session, from 7 am until 9 pm, Saturday, November 18. Visitors are invited to stop by sometime between those hours and help celebrate. They will be able to peek into the window of the recording studio and to hear the narrators as they work. Each will do a 20 minute recording session (see list at end or page).
What we’re celebrating:
2006 marks the 75th anniversary of the creation of the Talking Book Program of the National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped, a program of the Library of Congress (NLS). The talking-book program was established by an act of Congress in 1931 to serve blind adults. It was expanded in 1952 to include children, in 1962 to provide music materials, and again in 1966 to include individuals with other physical impairments that prevent the reading of standard print.
How APH is part of this process:
NLS contracts with American Printing House for the Blind (APH) to produce these "Talking Books." In 1936, APH installed a model sound recording studio. It was determined that processing and pressing equipment would be required. In 1937, APH was the only institution in the world equipped to manufacture Talking Book records, from wax recordings to finished pressings. APH issued its first "talking book" for the NLS in 1937, Gulliver’s Travels, which was narrated by WHAS radio announcer, Hugh Sutton.
What visitors will see:
We hope visitors will join the staff of the Printing House, narrators from other regional talking book producers, Central Kentucky Radio Eye (Lexington), Kentucky Talking Book Library (Frankfort) and area volunteers as we recreate that first classic "talkie" recorded at APH, "Gulliver’s Travels," in a marathon all-day recording session. Our goal is to create a patchwork quilt of voices representing those who provide pleasure and information to visually impaired listeners all over the country. Mitzi Friedlander and Barry Bernson (current narrators), Terry Meiners, Gary Roedemeier, Carla Ruschival, and Milton Metz are among the 44 people who have agreed to participate in the narration session.
The original recording studio in the rear wing of the company’s 1883 building, currently used as a meeting room in the museum will be put back in service as a recording studio for this historic event. That first studio was set up with only a table, a dictionary, and a microphone.
Visitors will be able to peek into the window of the recording studio and to hear the narrators as they work. Following is a list of narrators and the times they will be reading:
| Time | Name | City | Affiliation |
|---|---|---|---|
| 7:00 AM | Megan Burnett | Louisville | APH |
| 7:20 AM | Anne Rich | Louisville | ASRI |
| 7:40 AM | Don Dampier | Georgetown | KTBL |
| 8:00 AM | Jean Anne Webb | Frankfort | KTBL |
| 8:20 AM | Deanna Scoggins | Louisville | Community |
| 8:40 AM | John Polk | Louisville | APH |
| 9:00 AM | Terry Meiners | Louisville | WHAS |
| 9:20 AM | Mitzi Friedlander | Louisville | APH |
| 9:40 AM | Roger Stapleton | Frankfort | KTBL |
| 10:00 AM | Barry Bernson | Jeffersonville, IN | APH |
| 10:20 AM | Valerie Kane | Prospect | ASRI |
| 10:40 AM | Mary Howard | Prospect | ASRI |
| 11:00 AM | Milton Metz | Louisville | APH |
| 11:20 AM | Hayden Heaphy | Louisville | ASRI |
| 11:40 AM | Ann Zimmer | Lexington | KTBL |
| 12:00 PM | Roy Avers | Underwood, IN | APH |
| 12:20 PM | Margie Zoeller | Louisville | ASRI |
| 12:40 PM | Gary Tipton | Louisville | APH |
| 1:00 PM | Carol Dines | Louisville | APH |
| 1:20 PM | Joyce Honaker | Frankfort | KTBL |
| 1:40 PM | Gerry Adair | CKRE | |
| 2:00 PM | Al Crab | CKRE | |
| 2:20 PM | Art Herman | CKRE | |
| 2:40 PM | Ken Kurtz | CKRE | |
| 3:00 PM | Chris Pyle | CKRE | |
| 3:20 PM | Leif Rigney | CKRE | |
| 3:40 PM | Jewel Vanderhoef | CKRE | |
| 4:00 PM | Annie Lotz | Crestwood | ASRI |
| 4:20 PM | Gary Roedemeier | Prospect | WHAS |
| 4:40 PM | Cathy Hicks | Louisville | KSB |
| 5:00 PM | John Schaaf | Georgetown | KTBL |
| 5:20 PM | Butch Hoover | Frankfort | APH |
| 5:40 PM | Bob Huffman | Louisville | ASRI |
| 6:00 PM | Carolyn Kays | Louisville | ASRI |
| 6:20 PM | Sharon Murray | Louisville | APH |
| 6:40 PM | Dennis Krol | Frankfort | KTBL |
| 7:00 PM | Tuck Tinsley | APH | |
| 7:20 PM | Carla Ruschival | ACB | |
| 7:40 PM | Erin Jones | Louisville | APH |
| 8:00 PM | Brian Conn | Louisville | APH |
| 8:20 PM | Carol Stewart | APH | |
| 8:40 PM | Lou Harpenau | APH | |
| special | Terry Sales | Louisville | APH |
Reader Biographies, November 18, 2006
American Printing House for the Blind’s Talking Book Celebration
- Gerry Adair teaches English at Bluegrass Community and Technical College. He is a volunteer for Central Kentucky Radio Eye in Lexington.
- Roy Avers has recorded many books at APH including the popular series titles such as The White Indian and The Brotherhood of War.
- Barry Bernson is the popular news anchor at WDRB Fox 41 and a reader at APH.
- Megan Burnett is an actress, educator, director of Herstory productions and a reader at APH.
- Brian Conn is the program director for Louisville’s public radio station and reads at APH when he can get away.
- Al Crab has been a volunteer reader for Central Kentucky Radio Eye in Lexington since its inception. He is a retired University of Kentucky faculty member.
- Don Dampier is a retired state employee and author of Finding the Fifties. A UK graduate, he has been a volunteer at the Kentucky Talking Book Library recording studio since January 2006.
- Carol Dines is an actress, voice-over instructor and a reader at APH.
- Joe Elliott, a graduate of the Kentucky School for the Blind, is the popular host of the Joe Elliott Show weeknights on WHAS-AM.
- Mitzi Friedlander is an APH legend, having read more titles (1000+) than any other reader in the National Library Service Talking Book Program.
- Todd Hasson is a studio monitor for APH. In addition to directing the sessions for this recording of Gulliver’s Travels, he researched and prepared the essential "Gulliver Glossary."
- Lou Harpenau has recorded many projects at APH including The Merck Manual, The Mayo Clinic Guide and, recently, The Jerusalem Bible.
- Hayden Heaphy is the director of the Equipment Repair Facility at the Kentucky School for the Blind. He retired from the Accounting Department at General Electric. A current member of the Executive Board at the Audio Studio for the Reading Impaired, he has been a volunteer at ASRI for 18 years.
- Art Herman is a volunteer reader for Central Kentucky radio eye in Lexington. He owns a small roofing business and is involved with Donavan Reader’s Theater at the University of Kentucky.
- Kathy Hicks, of Louisville, is a retired librarian from the Kentucky School for the Blind.
- Joyce Honaker worked for the Legislative Research Commission in Frankfort. She has been a volunteer at the Kentucky Talking Book Library recording studio since 1979.
- Butch Hoover is an avid gardener and collector of blues music. He has a background in radio and reads regularly for APH.
- Mary Howard is a former Reading Supervisor at the Audio Studio for the Reading Impaired. She has been an ASRI volunteer for 4 years.
- Bob Huffman is a retiree from the finance industry. He has been an ASRI volunteer for the past three years.
- Erin Jones is an actress and reader at APH. She has read the Sweet Potato Queens series and likes to spend vacations in New Orleans when she can.
- Valerie Kane is a journalist, author, and editor. A current member of the Executive Board at the Audio Studio for the Reading Impaired, she has been a volunteer at ASRI for two years.
- Carolyn Kays is a retired teacher. A current member of the Executive Board at the Audio Studio for the Reading Impaired, she has been a volunteer at ASRI for two years.
- Joe Kopacz is a volunteer reader for Recording for the Blind & Dyslexic on Haldeman Avenue in Louisville.
- Dennis Krol owns an insurance company in Frankfort. A veteran, he has volunteered at KTBL since January 2006.
- Annie Lotz is Professor of English at Jefferson Community College. He has been an ASRI volunteer for the past two years.
- Terry Meiners is the host of Terry Meiners and Company on WHAS-AM in Louisville. He is the primary on-air host for the WHAS Crusade for Children, the long-running annual local telethon benefitting children’s charities.
- Milton Metz is a veteran broadcast personality at WHAS-Radio and WHAS-TV in Louisville. He began recording talking books for APH in 1953. His talk show, Metz Here (1959-1993) was perhaps the first radio call-in show anywhere.
- Steve Mullins is the studio director at the American Printing House for the Blind in Louisville, KY.
- Sharon Murray is an actress, singer, and, in addition to narrating for APH, is a proud mother to her young son.
- Sarah Nix is the studio manager for Central Kentucky Radio Eye in Lexington. She and her sons Ezra and Miles love to read, watch Star Wars, and sing really loud in the car.
- John Polk has worked extensively in commercial voice-overs and has read for APH for many years.
- Chris Pyle is an English instructor at Bluegrass Community and Technical College in Lexington, KY. He reads the Lexington Herald-Leader twice a week for Central Kentucky Radio Eye.
- Ann Rich is the director of the Audio Studio for the Reading Impaired in Louisville.
- Gary Roedemeier has been WHAS11’s evening news anchor for the past 20 years. During his career in television news, Gary has won five regional Emmys and over a dozen Metro Journalism Awards.
- Carla Ruschival is a self employed teacher and a national board member of the American Council of the Blind (ACB). She is the co-host of the weekly radio program Sound Prints, on WKJK AM 1080.
- Terry Sales has recorded at APH for over sixty years! She is a charter member of the Talking Book Hall of Fame.
- John Schaaf works for the Legislative Research Commission in Frankfort. He has been a volunteer at the Kentucky Talking Book Library recording studio since 1990.
- Deanna Scroggins is a graduate of the Kentucky School for the Blind and lives in the Clifton neighborhood of Louisville.
- Roger Stapleton is the Main Street Program Manager for the Kentucky Heritage Council in Frankfort. He has been a volunteer at the Kentucky Talking Book Library recording studio since 1991.
- Barry Steiger is a volunteer reader for Recording for the Blind & Dyslexic on Haldeman Avenue in Louisville.
- Carol Stewart is an actress, therapist and narrator who devotes her spare hours to Tibetan Buddhism.
- Gary Tipton is an actor, director at Clarksville Little Theatre and long-time APH reader.
- Jewel Vanderhoef is a volunteer reader for Central Kentucky Radio Eye in Lexington.
- Ann Zimmer works for the Legislative Research Commission in Frankfort. She has been a volunteer at the Kentucky Talking Book Library recording studio since 1991.
- Margie Zoeller is a former chair of the Executive Board at the Audio Studio for the Reading Impaired. She has been an ASRI volunteer for 22 years.
