Baylor University Institute for Oral History

08/27/2026

08/24/2026

This is the last week to sign up for our Geeting Started with Oral History workshop!

We are gearing up for another workshop!

Twice a year we host a workshop for beginners looking to learn more about the ins and outs of oral history and prep them for their future oral history projects. This is a great way to ask our team questions, get feedback, and learn alongside other oral historians.

Click the link below for more information.

https://library.web.baylor.edu/visit/institute-oral-history/workshops/getting-started-oral-history-workshop

08/20/2026

The Baylor University Institute for Oral History joins friends, family, and community partners in mourning the loss of Dan K. Utley, who recently passed away at the age of 77.

Dan was a prominent leader and collaborator in historical preservation, with a particular commitment to oral history and Texas history. He served as a contract historian and cultural resource manager, and held several positions with the Texas Historical Commission, including Chief Historian.

Dan was a longtime member of the Texas Oral History Association (TOHA), and contributed to oral history projects across Texas, including over one-hundred interviews for the Baylor University Institute for Oral History. Dan was an oral historian and lecturer here at Baylor and later a history lecturer at Texas State University. He was a respected leader in Texas historical preservation, working as a contract historian and cultural resource manager and holding several senior positions with the Texas Historical Commission, including Director of Research, Historic Courthouse Program Administrator, and Chief Historian. He concluded his full-time career as Chief Historian for the Center for Texas Public History at Texas State University, retiring in 2020. His work with historians, archivists, and preservationists reflected a shared commitment to documenting and preserving the experiences of many. His contributions to oral history and Texas history made him a valued colleague and collaborator within the field, including among those connected with the Baylor University Institute for Oral History.

Dan was a humble and widely respected historian who received many honors, including the Thomas L. Charlton Award for Lifetime Achievement in Oral History, presented by TOHA. As part of the Baylor University Institute for Oral History's project documenting TOHA Lifetime Achievement Award recipients, Dan reflected on his life's work and receiving the award. You can listen to that interview here: https://digitalcollections-baylor.quartexcollections.com/documents/detail/oral-memoirs-of-dan-k.-utley-series-2-audio/1608914

We are honored to be a part of the many institutions and lives touched by Dan Utley. His legacy will continue to inspire those dedicated to preserving the stories and history of people around the world for years to come.

08/14/2026

We are gearing up for another workshop!

Twice a year we host a workshop for beginners looking to learn more about the ins and outs of oral history and prep them for their future oral history projects. This is a great way to ask our team questions, get feedback, and learn alongside other oral historians.

Click the link below for more information.

https://library.web.baylor.edu/visit/institute-oral-history/workshops/getting-started-oral-history-workshop

08/12/2026

In October 2025, PhD student Linda Moldovan interviewed Pastor Joseph Tofanel, marking the Institute's first Romanian-language interview in Linda's growing collection on Romanian Pentecostal communities in the United States. Both the audio and transcript are now available, and the translated English-language transcript will be available soon.
Pastor Tofanel's oral history recounts his life under Romania's communist regime, his arrest and trial for repairing a church roof without state authorization, and his family's journey to America as refugees. He also discusses founding Waco's first and only Romanian Pentecostal church, which has also served as a vital hub for local Romanian Baptists.

To listen to the full interview or read the transcript, click the link below:

Audio
https://digitalcollections-baylor.quartexcollections.com/documents/detail/2619141

Transcript:
https://digitalcollections-baylor.quartexcollections.com/documents/detail/2619432?item=2622099

--
În octombrie 2025, doctoranda Linda Moldovan l-a intervievat pe pastorul Iosif Tofanel, marcând primul interviu în limba română din colecția în creștere a Institutului despre comunitățile Penticostale românești din S.U.A., realizată de Linda. Atât înregistrarea, cât și transcrierea sunt acum disponibile. Transcrierea tradusă în limba engleză va fi disponibilă la o dată ulterioară.
Istoria orală a pastorului Tofanel relatează viața sa sub regimul comunist din România, arestarea și procesul pentru repararea unui acoperiș de biserică fără autorizație de la autorități, precum și călătoria sa în America împreună cu soția și copiii ca refugiați. De asemenea, el povestește cm a fondat prima și singura biserică Penticostală românească din Waco, care a funcționat și ca un centru pentru Baptiștii români locali.

Pentru a asculta interviul complet sau a citi transcrierea, accesați linkul de mai jos:

Audio
https://digitalcollections-baylor.quartexcollections.com/documents/detail/2619141

Transcriere
https://digitalcollections-baylor.quartexcollections.com/documents/detail/2619432?item=2622099

08/07/2026

Congratulations Dr. Sloan! We are so proud of our director 🎊🎉!

Congratulations to Dr. Stephen M. Sloan, professor of Baylor Department of History, director of Baylor University Institute for Oral History and executive director of the national Oral History Association, on being named a 2026 Piper Professor for the state of Texas!

Each year, the Minnie Stevens Piper Foundation honors just 10 professors across Texas for their dedication to teaching and outstanding academic, scientific and scholarly achievement.

Join us in celebrating this well-deserved honor for Dr. Sloan! 💚💛

Read more ℹ️ -> https://f.mtr.cool/kyfesbdwhu

07/07/2026

The last day to register for our Sharpen Your Skills workshop is July 17th!

Registration for our advanced workshop is open🎉.

If you are interested in fine tuning your interviewing skills, then this is the workshop for you!

More information can be found on our website below:
https://library.web.baylor.edu/visit/institute-oral-history/workshops/sharpen-your-skills-workshops

06/19/2026

Since 1970, Baylor's Institute for Oral History has been preserving (and sharing) the memories of history's eyewitnesses. Today, more than 4,500 interviews are available online, many with the original audio files as well as a complete transcript for easy searching. Among the collection are interv

06/17/2026

Registration for our advanced workshop is open🎉.

If you are interested in fine tuning your interviewing skills, then this is the workshop for you!

More information can be found on our website below:
https://library.web.baylor.edu/visit/institute-oral-history/workshops/sharpen-your-skills-workshops