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May 2003, Week 1

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Subject:
From:
"Peter C. Rollins" <[log in to unmask]>
Reply To:
Film and TV Studies Discussion List <[log in to unmask]>
Date:
Sun, 4 May 2003 18:48:15 EDT
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Note: Jim Welsh of Salisbury State University is a pioneer in film studies
and a good friend of Film & History as well as other film studies periodicals
and organizations.  As he retires, his school recognizes his great efforts on
behalf of visual literacy…….Peter Rollins
__________________________________________________________

Salisbury Daily Times (May 4, 2003)
 SALISBURY, MD---On Thursday, May 1, Salisbury University celebrates the 30th 
anniversary of one of the most respected film journals in the United States, 
Literature/Film Quarterly.
To be honored are its founders and editors, Dr. James Welsh and Dr. Thomas 
Erskine of the English Department, and business manager Anne Welsh.  The idea 
for the journal was sparked in Erskine by Gerald Barrett, a colleague at the 
University of Delaware in the early 1970s.  Barrett had interested Erskine in 
the adaptation of literary works to film, and the pair had subsequently 
co-authored three books on the subject.  Shortly after Erskine came to what 
was Salisbury State College in 1972, he hired Welsh, and the two, along with 
Barrett, began dreaming of producing a publication that would showcase their 
love for movies and adaptations. Erskine compared that dream to some of the 
movies themselves. "It was like when Mickey Rooney would say to Judy Garland, 
'Hey, let's start a band,'" he said. "We said, 'Hey, we should put out a 
journal.'"
The publication began at a time when universities nationwide were beginning 
to boost film programs, and huge information databases such as the Internet 
were still decades away.
"It was a good time for print journals to get started," said Erskine. "You 
have to be there when the interest is peaking. We were lucky."

Originally subsidized by the University in 1973, the journal was holding its 
own financially after just two years. Welsh became editor about that time and 
the publication continued to flourish. According to the Rev. Gene D. Phillips 
of Chicago's Loyola University and a contributor to Literature/Film 
Quarterly, the new venture put SU on the map in the film studies world. 
"The journal has steadily become very respected," he said.  "I find the 
magazine extraordinarily interesting."  Towson University electronic media 
and film professor Peter Lev said Welsh and his wife, Anne, have been crucial 
to its success.  "Literature/Film Quarterly has for more than 30 years 
sustained a community of scholars devoted to the humanistic study of 
literature and film," he said. "I consider Jim a mentor and a friend. His 
great gift is an ability to bring scholars together in fruitful ways. 
Salisbury University should be very proud of Jim and Anne Welsh."

Throughout its history,  Literature/Film Quarterly has provided each new 
generation of SU graduate and undergraduate students opportunities to learn 
about film studies and journal publishing through internships in its office.  
Literature/Film Quarterly editor and proofreader Brenda Grodzicki earned her 
Bachelor and Master of Arts in English from SU.  "I think the University is 
lucky to have Anne and Jim. They're wonderful to work for. And their 
publication is remarkable on many levels, certainly educationally, but also 
as a marketing tool for Salisbury University's name."

With issues featuring scholars from around the world, the Quarterly has drawn 
both national and international interest and can be found in libraries at 
Harvard, Yale, UCLA and the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, 
among others. In all, circulation includes more than 30 countries. Welsh's 
experiences have allowed him to rub elbows with his fair share of celebrities 
- from Jimmy Stewart to Rita Hayworth to Francis Ford Coppola and John E. 
O'Connor. However, the scholar said meeting those stars brought him no 
particular excitement. "The prestige comes not from rubbing elbows with movie 
stars and actors, but from earning the respect of other people in the film 
studies field," he said.

For more information call 410-677-5357 or visit the Literature/Film Quarterly 
web site: 

<A HREF="http://www.salisbury.edu/LFQ/default.htm">http://www.salisbury.edu/LFQ/default.htm</A>

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