UW News

March 9, 2012

Lost and Found Films: ‘Inaugural’ from 1958

UW News

We return 54 years to 1958 for our latest installment of Lost and Found Films, where readers help identify and describe old film clips from UW Libraries audio visual collections, provided by Hannah Palin, film archivist.

This weeks film clip is titled “Inaugural,” and probably shows part of the inaugural dinner for UW President Charles Odegaard, which was indeed in November of 1958.

This is one of hundreds of reels of film that Palin is trying to identify for archiving purposes. She has clips from the late 1930s through the 1970s — some from research projects, some from campus events and some from commercial films or original productions.

In this silent film thats just under three minutes long we see Washington state dignitaries gathered for a banquet in a packed hall. A bespectacled older man steps up to the podium to speak, and Odegaard himself is seen (0:34) as well as Gov. Al Rosellini, then about a year into his first term. Toward the end, a fuzzy document is shown, which presumably is the program or menu for the evening.

So, that much she knows, but Palin still has some questions. She asks, can anyone identify where this banquet is taking place? Can anyone make out what that program says at the end? Also, are there other well-known Washington or UW people on the dais?

(Were not saying it looks like a really boring evening, exactly, but if youve ever sat through a ceremonial banquet with lots of speakers, you might agree that it is perhaps a blessing that this old clip is silent.)

The floor is now open. If you know about this Lost and Found Film, tap your water glass to get the tables attention — or just write your comments below.

Previous Lost and Found Films in 2012: University Parking, January 27.

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