Dean W. Coston papers
Collection
0116-MMC-NPBA
Dean Walter Coston (1923-2013) helped advance the cause of public broadcasting by insisting that radio be included in the Public Broadcasting Act of 1967, which he helped write. Coston first worked for WUOM, Ann Arbor, as chief engineer from 1948 to 1961. In 1961, he joined the Department of Health, Education and Welfare in 1961 as Special Assistant to the Assistant Secretary (Legislation). In 1963, he became Deputy Assistant Secretary and was Deputy Under-Secretary by 1966. His main concern was the development, implementation and administration of legislation in various areas, including education.
The collection documents Coston's involvement with the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare's Task Force on Educational Television and the passage of the Public Broadcasting Act of 1967.
This collection is open for research use.
Photocopies of original materials may be provided for a fee and at the discretion of the curator. Please see our Duplication of Materials page for more information. Queries regarding publication rights and copyright status of materials within this collection should be directed to the appropriate curator.
3.00 Linear Feet
The Dean W. Coston Papers cover the dates April 1965 to January 1969, with the bulk of the collection from 1967 to 1969, and contains some undated material. The collection documents Coston's involvement with the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare's Task Force on Educational Television and the passage of the Public Broadcasting Act of 1967. Types of documents include correspondence, memoranda, reports, newsletters, House and Senate Committee prints of legislation, and transcripts of congressional testimony.
Dean W. Coston was born in New York in July 1923. He attended University of Michigan, where he got both an A.B. and a M.A. degree.
Coston taught high school in Michigan, and was on the radio-television staff at the University of Michigan in 1948. He also worked as chief engineer at WUOM, Ann Arbor. While in Michigan, he held many public office positions including City Councilman, Ann Arbor; County Supervisor, Washtenaw County, Michigan; and Chairman, County Building Code Commission.
He joined the Department of Health, Education and Welfare in 1961 as Special Assistant to the Assistant Secretary (Legislation). In 1963, Coston became Deputy Assistant Secretary. By January 1966, he was Deputy Under-Secretary. His chief concern was the development, implementation and administration of legislation in areas including education. His responsibilities included inter-agency communications, extensive dealings with Congress, and Federal-state-local relationships. Among the legislative enactments that he was concerned with were: The Kefauver-Harris Drug Amendments of 1962; the Drug Abuse Control Act; The Clean Air Act (1963, 1965, 1967) and the Public Broadcasting Act (1962-1967). In fact, Coston helped advance the cause of educational radio by including it in the Public Broadcasting Act of 1967, which he helped write. Finally, he served as a representative of DHEW to many commissions and councils, including the Consumer Advisory Council and the Water Resources Council. He also belonged to the President's Task Force on Communications Policy.
The collection consists of six series
The Dean W. Coston Papers were given to the National Public Broadcasting Archives, University of Maryland Libraries by Dean W. Coston in May of 1993 and June of 1999.
Part of the Special Collections and University Archives