Gayle L. Morrison Collection

This collection contains 16 mm reel-to-reel film, VHS tapes, Betacam tapes, audio cassette tapes, note documents, ephemera, photographs, correspondence, flyers, and clippings that were created and/or collected by Gayle L. Morrison during her research as an author and conducting oral histories. The Gayle L. Morrison Collection is housed in two boxes of various sizes and four film canisters totaling 2.2 linear ft.

The collection arrived in good condition and was initially processed with only a container list as description. Due to a change of the content management system, further description proved to be necessary. During an assessment for an application for an NEH grant, the collection was identified for further processing and description. The processing archivist identified five series with the first series being the Hmong People Series, which is further organized into three subseries: 1. Reel-to-reel, 2. VHS tapes, 3. Betacam tapes.

Subseries 1. contains unidentified reel-to-reel tapes about the Hmong people and their daily life in Laos, as well as in America (where many were evacuated to at the end of The Vietnam War).

Subseries 2. contains unidentified VHS tapes about the Hmong people and their daily life in Laos, as well as in America (where many were evacuated to at the end of The Vietnam War).

Subseries 3. contains unidentified Betacam tapes about the Hmong people and their daily life in Laos, as well as in America (where many were evacuated to at the end of The Vietnam War).

The second series is the Dave Kouba Series, which contains audio cassette tapes featuring recordings with the following titles: Secret War in Laos, NBC TV broadcast, 1982; Papa Delta Golf song, Monologue Humor, Interview with Capt. Joe McCoy, 1973; Letter to Dave from Australian ag [sic] Pilot Keith, 1973; Pilots' Radio Chatter, Crash of Delta Gold Who's Where, etc., 1973; Vientiane Laos Coup, by Dave Kouba, 1973; Various stories, Andre, Royal Lao Air pilot, 1974; Who's Where, Strike Against Continental Air, Dave Inflight, circa 1974; Pilots' Radio Chatter, Fatal Crash of Paul Birch, Continental Services, Inc. (CASI), Approximately 1972-1973; DZ Club, Last Pilots in Laos and Cambodia, Saigon Evacuation, circa 1975; Pilots' Radio Chatter, 1975; Vientiane, Laos, Conversation US Exodus, Last Flights Out of Laos, 1975; Bangkok, Thailand, Stories Last Days and Evacuation out of Saigon, Savannakhét, Laos, 1975; Dinner Party in Los Angeles, CA with CASI pilots Dave Kouba Recollections of Other Members, Job Openings, 1975; Interview with USAF Major Taylor about Lao pilots, undated; Vientiane (VTE) Coup and a Plane on a Bombing Run, 1973; Audio Letter to Lois and Dick Weaver, August 1973; Unedited Tape of the Coup in VTE, Laos 1973 and Discussions Held at Dave Kouba’s Home, 1973; Pilot Chatter of a Laos crash by Pilot Andre with Fatalities, February 1975; New No Fly Restrictions and Planes to Return in June 1975, Undated; Telephone Diary, Undated; CASI “Lay-off day“ and Kouba is the last pilot in Laos, June 1975; discussion regarding a plaque for missing in action (MIA) and killed in action (KIA) air personell (CASI) in Laos, VTE, March 1976; Clark and Joe on Slope Checkpoint, undated ; taped letter from former CASI pilot Weaver to current CASI pilot Dave Kouba discussing pilots stateside and plans for the future, December 1974; "Weird" Neil Olsen story of the evacuation of Phnom Pemh, Cambodia, April 1975; Papa, Delta, Golf “R.A.P.E.“ policy, rotary mower, and a poem “My Co-Pilot“, undated.; Ground School Instruction, undated; and Pilot Chatter between Dave Kouba and Neil Hansen, May 1975;

The third series is the Photograph Series, which contains a image of Major General Vang Pao speaking behind a lectern while in the United States. The image has been autographed by Vang Pao and dedicated to Captain Al Rich; and a statement from Gayle L. Morrison is associated with this photograph describing the provenance.

The fourth series is the Correspondence Series, which contains correspondence between Gayle L. Morrison to Larry Sall describing an accompanying article from the Bangkok Post covering the growth of the civil aviation industry in Vietnam and a flyer promoting Morrison’s newly published book, Sky Is Falling.

The fifth series is the Emphemera Series, which contains trading cards from the Commemorative Air Force of a Douglas C-47 Skytrain That’s All, Brother, a Boeing B-29 Superfortress Fifi, and a North American P-51 Mustang Gunfighter.