David B. McCall papers, 1939-1999 and undated bulk 1980-1994 21.8 Linear Feet 12,600 Items
- Abstract Or Scope
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David B. McCall was an advertising executive and humanitarian. He was the originator of the idea for the children's educational television series Schoolhouse Rock. The David B. McCall Papers span the years 1939-1999, with the bulk documenting the years 1980-1994, and are comprised of clippings, correspondence, business reports, photographs, scrapbooks, speeches and writings, videocassettes, audio tapes and phonograph records. In particular, three main areas of McCall's career are represented: as an advertising executive and partner in agencies such as Young & Rubicam, Ogilvy Benson & Mather, McCaffrey & McCall, David J. Mahoney, Inc., the Sawyer Miller Group, and Shepardson Stern and Kaminsky; as a corporate director for the Hunter Fan Company, Save the Children, and two local radio broadcasting corporations, among others; and as a humanitarian involved with organizations such as the Committee for the Support of Roe v. Wade, CARE, and Refugees International. In addition, there is a substantial body of McCall's speeches and writings that reflect both the wide range of his professional and personal interests and commitments as well as his status as a public intellectual in high demand, as well as a number of files containing correspondence, clippings and articles concerning David Ogilvy, McCall's mentor in advertising. Major advertising campaigns represented in this collection include Mercedes Benz of North America, North American Philips, Life magazine, the American Can Company, Lever Brothers Company, and the Zippo Manufacturing Company, along with public relations work for such clients as the National Football League, Puerto Rico Telephone Company (PRTC), and the Regional Bell Operating Companies. Major humanitarian issues documented in the collection include the Unsell protest movement against the war in Vietnam, tobacco advertising aimed at children, land mine removal, refugee welfare, and support of abortion rights. McCall was also involved in political campaigns for a number of notable candidates, such as John Lindsay (New York), Harvey Gannt (North Carolina), George Kevarian (Massachusetts), Ramón Mitra (Philippines) and Mario Vargas Llosa (Peru). While McCall is recognized as the originator of the idea behind the popular children's educational television series Schoolhouse Rock!, the collection contains very little documentation concerning that project apart from a copy of the original soundtrack.
- Collection Context