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Think Tank 2022
UPF International History Project: Preserving the Past
Friday, December 31, 2021
Statement of Purpose
The UPF History Project is designed to capture the chronological history of UPF (including its forerunners IIFWP, IIPC, etc.) with a focus on the public activities of UPF International and its related subsidiaries resulting in a comprehensive, historically accurate timeline. Included will be the web addresses of relevant documents such as reports, photos, videos, programs, artifacts facsimiles, participant lists and other related materials. These materials will be regularly updated and eventually presented in a web-based format for easy access to the curious searcher and the serious researcher.
Initial Project Summary
Since its launching in September 2020, the UPF History Project has been sifting through boxes and file cabinets, gleaning treasures from more than two decades of conferences and events featuring UPF’s co-founders and a veritable who’s who of world presidents, Nobel laureates, religious and civic leaders representing every one of the 193 member nations of the United Nations.
Initiated by UPF’s International Chairman, Dr. Thomas Walsh, and managed by Frank LaGrotteria according to Dr. Walsh’s initial vision, the project’s main focus is on the work of UPF International and several earlier organizational incarnations such as IIFWP, IIPC, etc. The vision was to get a comprehensive, accurate timeline, with basic information and links that connected to various documents such as printed programs, program reports, photos of the events, audio and video records, books, artifacts and literature. Also included were certificates, proclamations, recognitions, awards, legal designations and significant letters from prominent people, such as commemorations of the Founders’ birthday, etc.
Frank LaGrotteria was brought on to assist Dr. Walsh and his team, which included Mrs. Genie Kagawa, Mrs. Lynn Walsh, and Eli Izumi, with data collection, review and organization. Initial meetings and discussions led to a data collection process which has grown to include all UPF and related organizations’ history, both digital and hard copy. A new storage room has been acquired where these materials have been sorted and assembled.
The physical work of the project involved reviewing source documents from existing digital files and archives, hard-copy files and archives. A wider hard drive and internet search for lost or misplaced items remains ongoing. It is our aim at some point to have the regions and nations fill in their own historical records, plus relevant links.
The initial date range was from 1999 through the present, although once we started to uncover the treasure of our collective resources, we found a significant amount of material from the 1990’s which is now being included in the project.
Current Progress
Our initial timeline for collection and organization was approximately one year, to be followed by additional time set aside for web design and presentation. In 2020 we got our feet wet with the review and sorting process, but in 2021 we were able to aggressively collect all of UPF’s physical resources in one location, which are now sorted and labeled. Simultaneously we gathered the digital files in a similar fashion, although the digital records are massive and taking longer than expected to manage.
Reviewing the data, photos and event records from more than two decades revealed the stunning reality of the sheer volume of what was accomplished under the Founders’ guidance and direction which now serves as a rock-solid foundation for the high-level work currently being carried out.
In terms of presentation of the data, we are looking at the Smithsonian website’s pattern which has a yearly timeline augmented by significant events and articles: (https://airandspace.si.edu/exhibitions/wright-brothers/online/who/). We might develop the timeline approach, adding in collections, artifacts, books, photo albums and more, organized in an interactive web. Stay tuned for future updates.