AFA HISTORY: SOME BIBLIOGRAPHICAL SUGGESTIONS.

• Author: Sanders, Gerald H.
• Position: American Forensic Association

There is an old dictum: Although the past never changes, historical writing about the past does change. New histories are written as new facts are uncovered and as new interpretations are made. The essays in this special issue of the journal do an excellent job of tracing the history of the first fifty years of the AFA, but new histories will be written, not only about the next fifty years but also about the first fifty. No history is ever "final."

Future historians, of course, should begin building their bibliographies by utilizing the references in the preceding essays. The new histories will use many of the same sources, many of which unfortunately are now widely scattered in various locations and some of which are not easily located. This brief essay is not a definitive bibliographical study. Its more modest purposes are (1) to provide future historians with some hints about where to locate materials and (2) to encourage the AFA to continue its recent efforts to collect materials and deposit them in a well-maintained historical archives.

Our hints are based partly on personal experience and partly on conversations with several people who have been active in AFA, especially the following: Austin Freeley, a founder and the second president of the organization; Annabel Hagood, a former president and one who played a key role in the assumption of the NDT by AFA; George Ziegelmueller, a former president and another key player in the assumption of the NDT; Malcolm Sillars, a founder of the association and a leading figure in developing the Alta conferences; Karla K. Leeper, the current President of AFA; and James Pratt, a former president and current Executive Secretary of the organization.

Pratt has done a superb job of maintaining records since becoming Executive Secretary after the new constitution called for the creation of such an office. Pratt has also collected many of the earlier records, but when the AFA creates its much-needed archives, the AFA should continue his efforts to collect old records.

Historical materials can be divided conveniently into (1) unpublished written documents, (2) oral histories, and (3) published materials. The first type, unpublished materials, are in special danger of being lost with the passage of time. The private letters of AFA officers and committee chairs probably contain a considerable amount of relevant information about AFA history. To our knowledge, the only formal collection of private documents...