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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Online resources for film/TV studies may be found at ScreenSite

http://www.ScreenSite.org