Torr,  Donald V. Papers

BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH

Donald V. Torr was born on June 14, 1926 in Clinton, Iowa. He received his B.A. in 1948, his M.A. in 1949, and his Ph.d. in 1952, all from Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri. Starting in 1950, Torr was employed with the government, working on test development/validation projects with the Personnel Research Laboratory of the Air Force Personnel and Training Research Center. In 1959, he became the manager of systems applications at General Electric in upstate New York, leaving in 1967. Torr then joined the faculty at Gallaudet University as assistant vice president of the Office of Educational Technology and professor of education. He retired in 1991 after 21 years of service.

He and his wife, Nancy, have two daughters, Leslie Winkleman and Sally McAleer.

SCOPE AND CONTENT

The Donald V. Torr Papers cover the issue of closed captioning between 1971 and 1984. Torr was the assistant vice president of the Office of Educational Technology, known as College Educational Resources at the time.

The collection is comprised mainly of correspondence and material related to lobbying for closed captioned television. There are several reports to various committees within the government, most notably the Federal Communications Commission. Photographs are included. Of particular interest is the British closed captioning system of the late 1970s, which appears to have served as a model for the American system.

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