Working Americans
odd: label: Introduction
content: Since 1971, under the rubric of "Union Workers" and, later, "Working Americans", the Festival of American Folklife broadened the scope of traditional folklore by including exhibits featuring the American working man and woman. The premise was that folklore is a continuing process and that occupations generate individual styles, superstitions, language, initiations that unite those workers within one occupation across the country and around the world.

In 1974, the skills of workers from a large number of contemporary occupations centered on communication were exhibited in the Working Americans area of the Festival. In addition, this program focused on the folklore of these occupations: occupational jokes, rituals, beliefs, customs, language, and stories that express workers' true attitudes toward themselves, their jobs and co-workers, their working conditions and unions, their industries, and local communities. The Festival's concern was to present the worker not only as a skilled practitioner of his or her trade, but even more importantly, as a person whose entire expressive culture is heavily influenced by the work he or she does. Presentations in 1974 were organized around several domains of communication: graphic communications, radio broadcasting, telecommunications, ham radio (amateur radio), theater work, and music.

Festival presentations were the result of extensive planning and cooperation among the AFL-CIO, the U.S. Department of Labor, the Smithsonian and its folklife scholars, and the National Park Service. The program coordinator was Shirley Askew, assisted by Susan Donahue; consultants included Kenneth Goldstein, Archie Green, and Jill Shuman.

Presentations in 1974 laid the groundwork for the major Bicentennial Festival of American Folklife, including as many as 90 occupational groups.
label: Fieldworkers
content: Robert Baron, Saul Broudy, Bruce Nickerson, Robert E. Porter, Richard Skrinjar
label: Participants
content: Communications Workers of America

Joseph A. Beirne, 1911-, President

Jeffrey Shaw, exhibit coordinator

Participants:  -- Participants:Albert GreenwoodCalvin FosterEdward O'ConnorJames SpicknallChris DreslinMax LindseyElmer PilgrimRichard LincolnDon FoxGroff (Sarge) YeckJohn ClaggettFrancis J. Kriege, Jr.Roger CullerC. W. SmithHarold NewtonJohn RumseyAlice WilliamsVicki WhiteBlondell WareWila HallDavid MooreBernice LaCourHazell Rouse

Graphic Arts International Union

Kenneth J. Brown, President

John A. Stagg, exhibit coordinator

Walter Lypka, exhibit coordinator

Participants:  -- Participants:Carolyn ForsterHarvey LovinArnold GrummerOther members of the Graphic Arts International Union also participated in this exhibit.

Foundation for Amateur Radio

Hugh Turnbull, W3ABC, President

Edmund B. Redington, W4ZM, exhibit coordinator

The Foundation acknowledges the support and co-operation of the national organization of radio amateurs, The American Radio Relay League, Inc. (Newington, Conn.), and the participation of the following League officials: Victor Clark, W4KFC (Vice President), and Harry McConaghy, W3SW (Director, Atlantic Division).

Department of State Amateur Radio Club  -- Department of State Amateur Radio ClubBryan Cordray, WA5SPIJohn Swafford, W4HUWilliam R. Jochimsen, W3UVFred Vogel, WA3QBKHersh Miller, W3SWDMac Shimp, WA3PPPJim Brown, W5DRPJames Bullington, K4LSDGale Conard, K3VTAPauline Conard, WA3VHHTom Masingill, WB4KNWGlen Starkey, K4PUISam Staton, K41TBDexter Anderson, K3KWJWill DeCierq, WA4DIBEarle Sherman, K4HQP

National Capital DX Association  -- National Capital DX AssociationDon Search, W3AZDJim Douglas, W3ZNHLynn Lamb, W3BWZPete Huber, WA3KSQJoe Mikuckis, K3CHPBurt Cohen, W3CREDick Price, W3DBTGeorge Grant, WA3MBQDick Propst, W3NLBill May, W3RXMort Cohen, K3SXQBill Shepherd, W3ZSRSteve Jarrett, K4CFBRay Johnson, K4DXOPete Raymond, K4EKJJinny Beyer, W41DGRay Porter, K40MRRay Spence, W4QAWTed Cohen, W4UMFJohn Kanode, W4WSFJohn Boyd, W4WWG

The American Federation of Television and Radio Artists

Northern Virginia FM Association, Inc.  -- Northern Virginia FM Association, Inc.George Miller, K4EJYCharles Raybuck, W4YEBJ. William Miller, K3MMWalter Lockhart, W3PWBDonald Dunlap, WB4QAXRobert Payton, W4GPD

Amateur Radio Public Service Corps  -- Amateur Radio Public Service CorpsKarl Medrow, W3FAJohn Munholland, K3LFDBob Slagle, K4GRBud Cone, WA4PBGSherm Winings, WB4RDVJohn Manning, WB4MAECharles Stay, W4HECraig Church, K4GORPhilip Sager, WB4FDTSteve Floyd, WB4YHDMarc Pressman, WB4DRBKen Johnson, WN4GHY

Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation (AMSAT)  -- Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation (AMSAT)Perry I. Klein, K3JTEJan A. King, W3GEYWm. A. Hook, W3QBCCharles Dorian, W3JPTWilliam A. Tynan, W3KMVJoseph Kasser, G3ZCZ/W3Richard Daniels, WA4DGUThomas H. Mitchell, WA3TBDEdward Ramos, W3HQHR. Alfred Whiting, K3BRS

Metrovision, Inc. (Amateur television club)  -- Metrovision, Inc. (Amateur television club)Terry Fox, WB4JFIMike Bray, WB4DVDBruce Brown, WB4YTUTom Lucas, WA4RBEPaul Lain, W4WHODon Miller, W9NTPJohn Oehlenschlager, WA4EMOStu Mitchell, WAODYJJohn Hart, K3KWOPhil Poole, WB4FQRFrank Lamm, WB4FUJ

Washington Area Young Ladies Radio Club (WAYLARC)  -- Washington Area Young Ladies Radio Club (WAYLARC)Irene Akers, W3RXJElizabeth Zandonini, W3CDQEthel Smith, K4LMBMaxine Harris, WA4UWKJanie Mcintyre, K4BNGClaire Bardon, K4TVTMary Seaton, W4HRDPat Morton, LU1BAR/3Meg Cauffield, W3UTRPeg Demueles, WA3SCXSandra Rutiser, K3SOXGinny Pemkerton, K4SHE

Actors Equity Association

National Association of Broadcast Employees and Technicians

Scenic Artists of the International Brotherhood of Painters and Allied Trades

American Federation of Musicians

Hal C. Davis, President

in cooperation with

THE MUSIC PERFORMANCE TRUST FUNDS

Kenneth E. Raine, Trustee Music Performance Trust Funds

The music for this occasion was provided by a grant from the Music Performance Trust Funds, a public service organization, created and financed by the recording industries under agreements with the American Federation of Musicians.

Phyllis Boyens, 1947-2009, singer, guitarist

Philip Cassadore, 1932-1985, Apache singer

Sam Chatmon, 1899-1983, blues singer, guitarist, Hollandale, Mississippi

Hazel Dickens, 1935-2011, singer, guitarist

Jim Garland, 1905-1978, singer, guitarist

Joe Glazer, 1918-2006, singer, guitarist

Sarah Ogan Gunning, 1910-1983, singer, guitarist

Janie Hunter, 1918-1997, singer, ring-games

Bessie Jones, 1902-1984, singer, ring-games

Jesse Mays, spiritual singer, Independence, Mississippi

Mary McCaslin, 1946-, singer, guitarist

Paul Ortega, 1937-, Apache singer

Bruce Phillips, 1935-2008, singer, guitarist

Jim Ringer, 1936-1992, singer, guitarist

Florence Reece, 1900-1986, singer

Houston Stackhouse, 1910-1980, blues singer, Crystal Springs, Mississippi

James "Son" Thomas, 1926-1993, blues singer, Leland, Mississippi

Varney Watson, singer, guitarist

Floyd Westerman, 1936-2007, Sioux singer

Nimrod Workman, 1895-1994, singer, balladeer
name: label: Collection Creator
content: Smithsonian Institution. Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage
setName: label: See more items in
content: Smithsonian Folklife Festival records: 1974 Festival of American Folklife
dataSource: label: Archival Repository
content: Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives and Collections
identifier: label: Identifier
content: CFCH.SFF.1974, Series 9
objectType: label: Type
content: Archival materials