August

THIS MONTH IN THE HISTORY OF RMPBS: AUGUST
The Magic of Ken Burns
Submitted August 1, 2016
By Laura Sampson, Founder of Station’s Archived Memories (SAM)
Having a PBS celebrity visit Rocky Mountain PBS is a huge honor. Over the past three
decades, primarily during the month of August, Rocky Mountain PBS has hosted one of
the most awarded and celebrated PBS celebrities ever -- KEN BURNS. A prolific writer,
director and producer of PBS documentaries, RMPBS members and viewers have
applauded Ken Burns on numerous occasions: 1991, 1994, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2010
and 2014.
Every PBS viewer is familiar the work of Ken Burns: The Civil War, Baseball, The Tenth
Inning, The Roosevelts, National Parks and many more. As stated by our own local
RMPBS program, Arts District, “In an industry where a quick pace and computer
generated realities are pervasive, Burns' films rely on thoughtfully related facts and
archival photographs.”
When did Burns visit RMPBS?
Ken’s initial visit followed the release of his esteemed
documentary THE CIVIL WAR. On August 23, 1991,
Ken was the first speaker in KRMA’s annual “Speaker
Series” at Teikyo Loretto Heights Theatre where Ken
shared his own unique approach to the study of history
and revealed his unique techniques for creating
remarkable documentaries. His subject was “The Mystic
Chord of Memory – A New Way of Presenting the Past.”
His second RMPBS appearance was in 1994 when
peanuts and hot dogs were foremost on the minds of
Denverites due to Ken’s magnificent PBS documentary
BASEBALL. His 9-part documentary inspired the
production of KRMA’s awesome program titled “THEY CAME TO PLAY: A HISTORY
OF BASEBALL IN COLORADO, 1860-1960.” that traced the roots of baseball’s
beginnings in Colorado from the Civil War to the triumphs of the minor leagues in 1960.
To promote his remarkable BASEBALL series, Ken spoke at a Cornerstone member
reception held at Denver’s Welshire Inn on August 28, 1994. That evening, he spoke to
a packed house at Teikyo Heights
Theatre presenting, “The Passion,
the Prose and the Production of
Baseball.” Using highlight preview
clips, Burns revealed why he’s had
such a passion to chronicle
baseball’s history.
Ken’s third visit on August 27, 2006 was for the University of Colorado at Colorado
Springs lecture series reflecting on three of his award-winning productions THE CIVIL
WAR, BASEBALL and JAZZ. Ken’s lecture was appropriately titled “Sharing the
American Experience.”
Ken returned to Denver on January 17,
2007 to the delight of an intimate group of
Cornerstone members with a discussion
on his forthcoming WWII documentary.
Guests were spellbound by Ken’s remarks
on the history of the WWII that he
presented through personal accounts
shared by men and women from several
American towns.
Ken again veered from his traditional
August visit when he returned to
RMPBS on May 26, 2009, to promote
his beautiful NATIONAL PARKS series
at a RMPBS Cornerstone appreciation
event followed by a public screening of
the program.
Ken promoted his production, TENTH
INNING on August 25, 2010. He gleefully
pitched the first ball at the Colorado
Rockies game where guests were duly
feted by having the great opportunity to
watch the baseball game with Ken in the
Owner’s Suite at Coors Field.
Ken Burns’ most recent visit was on
August 21, 2014 when he previewed his
series, THE ROOSEVELTS: AN
INTIMATE HISTORY at the University of
Denver’s Davis Auditorium. The film interlaced a span of 100 years with the intimate
and fascinating stories of Theodore, Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt.
Public Broadcasting is extremely fortunate to have brilliant directors such as Ken Burns
that can share stories in such a moving and memorable fashion. Rocky Mountain PBS
looks forward to future visits from this amazing storyteller.
DON’T MISS THE BONUS MATERIALS FEATURING REMARKS BY KEN BURNS
Click below to enjoy Ken’s comments recorded at the RMPBS studios.
1. Ken Burns interviewed by Carrie Saldo: http://www.rmpbs.org/artsdistrict/ad-localkenburns/
2. Ken Burns’ RMPBS 2010 RMPBS Membership spot: https://vimeo.com/175155257
3. To view more archived materials or photographs of KEN BURNS, contact Station’s
Archived Memories at Rocky Mountain PBS
All research for this article were made possible by STATION’S ARCHIVED MEMORIES
(SAM).
Station’s Archived Memories serves the past, present, and future of Rocky Mountain PBS by
assuring that the history of the station and its importance to the Colorado community will survive
for generations to come. SAM is a volunteer-driven project preserving the history of Rocky
Mountain PBS. To learn more about the station’s history and how to research, volunteer or
donate items to the archives, please visit www.RMPBS.org/SAM, contact the SAM office at
Rocky Mountain PBS 303-620-5734 or email SAM@rmpbs.org.