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<\/a>(left) C-SPAN video journalist and producer Christy Hinton and Dawne Dewey, head of Archives and Special Collections with the Wright State University Libraries.<\/p><\/div>\n
Seeking to capture those stories and others from the Gem City, C-SPAN visited the collection in November and interviewed the head of the archives, Dawne Dewey, for a segment the cable channel calls its C-SPAN Cities Tour.<\/p>\n
C-SPAN joins the Discovery Channel, the History Channel and many authors, filmmakers and local journalists who have visited and chronicled the collection and the stories within.<\/p>\n
C-SPAN video journalist and producer Christy Hinton described her job as an opportunity to teach viewers more than just the basic stories they learned in history books.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s a chance to educate and to teach them something unique,\u201d said Hinton. \u201cEverybody knows who the Wright brothers are, but we want to come to these places, learn the stories and then show people something that they wouldn\u2019t otherwise know.\u201d<\/p>\n
Hinton\u2019s Dayton visit included a stop at the Paul Laurence Dunbar House, as well as an extended visit with Dewey and the array of Wright family heirlooms.<\/p>\n
\u201cVisiting with C-SPAN was a great chance to remind people that we are named after the Wright brothers and that the largest collection of Wright brothers materials resides in Dayton at our university,\u201d said Dewey. \u201cIt\u2019s also just a fantastic story to tell, and I love sharing it.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Library of Congress was given first choice of family items in 1948 following Orville Wright\u2019s death. Wilbur had already passed in 1912 due to typhoid fever. Glass plate negatives, Wright brothers journals, diaries and a lot of correspondence that related directly to the invention of powered controlled flight were taken. But scads of family items like photos, report cards and correspondence remained and were later given to Wright State by the family to protect and preserve. The gesture prompted the Dayton Art Institute to reunite the brothers\u2019 priceless medals and awards with the Wright State collection.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere are over 4,000 photographs, and I would say they\u2019re probably the gem of the collection, but so too are the medals, and their father\u2019s papers and journals, which give us a palpable glimpse into the struggles and successes the brothers had that makes this story so real,\u201d said Dewey.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat has always amazed me about this collection is that it\u2019s not just about flight, it\u2019s also about a Midwest American family\u2019s experience in Dayton, Ohio. Yes Wilber and Orville did something remarkable, but the rest of the family and the parts they played are compelling too,\u201d added Dewey.<\/p>\n
C-SPAN\u2019s coverage of Wright State\u2019s Wright brothers collection will air on C-SPAN 2 Saturday, Dec. 21, at noon and Sunday, Dec. 22, at 5 p.m. during Book TV programming in a segment called the C-SPAN Cities Tour, which will focus on Dayton and will also include a feature on Dunbar.<\/p>\n
View the collection in person by contacting the Special Collections and Archives at http:\/\/www.libraries.wright.edu\/special\/<\/a> or (937) 775-2092.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Did you know that the Special Collections and Archives in the Wright State University Dunbar Library has the largest collection of authentic Wright brothers materials in the world? Continue reading