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David L. Crippens papers

 Collection 0149-MMC-NPBA
David L. Crippens' extensive public broadcasting career began as a producer for San Diego station KPBS-TV from 1969 to 1971. That year, he joined station WQED-TV in Pittsburgh as staff producer, writer, and newsperson, working there until 1973. He then returned to the West Coast to work as the director of Educational Services at KCET, Los Angeles' public television station. In 1977 he was promoted to vice president of Educational Services. From 1980 to 1983, Crippens served as a vice president and a stage manager. In 1983, he became the vice president of National Productions for KCET. He held this position until 1985, when he became the senior vice president of Educational Enterprises. The collection documents Crippens' career in public television, particularly focusing on his time at KCET/Los Angeles, the various conferences and meetings he attended, and his speeches.

Dates

  • 1969-1998
  • Majority of material found within 1993-1997

Use and Access to Collection

This collection is open for research use.

Duplication and Copyright Information

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.

Extent

8.50 Linear Feet

Additional Description

Scope and Content of Collection

The David L. Crippens papers cover the years 1969 to 1998, with the bulk of the materials dating from 1993 to 1997. The collection documents Crippens' career in public television, particularly focusing on his time at KCET/Los Angeles, the various conferences and meetings he attended, and his speeches. Types of materials include correspondence, travel itineraries, brochures, programs, pamphlets, article clippings, speeches, receipts, photographs, certificates, reports, proposals, overhead transparencies, and a banner.

Biography

David Lee Crippens was born September 23, 1942 in Nashville, Tennessee. He received a BA in Political Science from Antioch University in 1964 and a Masters of Social Work from San Diego State University in 1968.

From 1964 to 1966, Crippens served as a Peace Corps volunteer in Nigeria. After his return, he worked as the associate director of the educational opportunities program at San Diego State University from 1968 to 1969. He continued to work in San Diego as a producer for KPBS-TV, a public television station, from 1969 to 1971. In 1971, he moved to the East Coast to work as a staff producer, writer, and newsperson for the Pittsburgh public television station, WQED-TV. He worked there until 1973.

In 1973, Crippens moved back to the West Coast to work as the director of Educational Services at KCET, Los Angeles's public television station. In 1977 he was promoted to vice president of Educational Services. From 1980 to 1983, Crippens served as a vice president and a stage manager. In 1983, he became the vice president of National Productions for KCET. He held this position until 1985, when he became the senior vice president of Educational Enterprises, a position which he still holds. In his role as the senior vice president of the Educational Enterprises, Crippens oversees the production and coordination of educational programs and services for KCET. The primary objective of the department is the development, production and acquisition of educational instructional programs. Under Crippens' leadership, Educational Enterprises produced a wide range of programs on topics such as children and computers, earthquakes, math for parents, and health and substance abuse, particularly the dangers of smoking for minority audiences.

Crippens served as the executive-in-charge of outreach activities designed to support and extend the educational applications of broadcast presentations through a wide variety of print materials and community or school-based activities. He was the project Director on a project funded by the National Science Foundation, "Count On Me." The "Count On Me" collaborative efforts offered parent-teacher workshops in mathematics. He also produced and moderated a number of teleconferences, some which also dealt with the issue of teacher mathematics.

Crippens is also very involved with the school-to-career field and worked closely with the National Council for Research in Vocational Education (NCRVE) and the Center for Occupational Research and Development (CORD). He was a keynote speaker at several conferences for both organizations and played roles in various School-to-Work and Tech Prep conferences.

Crippens serves on the board of a number of organizations, including Antioch University Advisory Committee, Editorial Project in Education, the Community Coalition for Substance Abuse Prevention and Treatment, the National Black Programming Consortium, Inroads, and the Center for Occupational Research and Development (CORD). Under his direction, the KCET Educational Enterprises Department received an award from the Centers for Disease Control and prevention for its efforts in children's health in 1997 and the 1997 Distinguished Service to Health Education Award from the Association for the Advancement of Health Education (AAHE). Additionally, Crippens has earned many individual awards, including the National Citation Award from the National Sorority of Phi Delta Kappa and the John Swett Award from the California Teachers Association for Outstanding Coverage of Educational Issues and Concerns.

Arrangement

Organized as five series.
  1. Series 1: Conferences
  2. Series 2: Meetings
  3. Series 3: Speeches by Crippens
  4. Series 4: Public Television
  5. Series 5: Personal Papers

Custodial History and Acquisition Information

The David L. Crippens papers were donated to the National Public Broadcasting Archives, University of Maryland Libraries by David L. Crippens in March of 1999.

Topics

Administrative Information

Title
Guide to the David L. Crippens papers
Status
Completed
Author
Processed by Elizabeth L. Borja and Debbie Mack, November 2000
Date
2000-11-01
Description rules
Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Language of description
English
Script of description
Code for undetermined script
Language of description note
Finding aid written in English

Library Details

Library Details

Part of the Special Collections and University Archives

http://www.lib.umd.edu/special
Contact:
University of Maryland Libraries
Hornbake Library
4130 Campus Drive
College Park Maryland 20742
301-405-9212

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