The Ohio Public Policy Archives (OPPA), supported by a private donor and in partnership with the John Glenn College of Public Affairs at The Ohio State University, has collected 10 oral history interviews with former congressional and committee staff who served alongside Senator John Glenn. These firsthand accounts preserve insights and experiences that have otherwise been unavailable in traditional print resources.
Each interview offers a unique glimpse into Senator Glenn’s leadership, the inner workings of Congress and major policy issues from nuclear nonproliferation and government oversight to foreign policy, trade and domestic social issues. Now part of the OPPA Congressional Staff Oral History Project, these reflections also highlight personal interactions with Senator and Annie Glenn, the 1984 presidential campaign and the senate softball league, adding depth and relatability to the historic records.
Cory Ackerman and Katie Saucer, oral historians with History Associates, Inc., conducted the interviews with the goal to deepen the understanding Senator Glenn’s congressional service and the major issues and events that took place in the U.S. Congress during his time in office.
One interview features Randy Rydell who served as senior professional staff on the U.S. Senate Committee on Governmental Affairs under Senator Glenn from 1987 to 1998 and helped draft the Nuclear Proliferation Prevention Act of 1994. During his interview, he discusses Glenn’s efforts to ensure the Nuclear Nonproliferation Policy Act of 1978 strengthened International Atomic Entergy Agency safeguards: “There’s a great example of how, not just a country, but a person within the country, can take actions that can become a global norm. …Glenn may not deserve full credit for being the only person to do that, but he sure was a champion of it.”
Oral histories like these do more than preserve the past. They set the foundation for new inspiration and research to take place. By capturing the lived experiences of these staff members, we’ve been able to curate a collection of history that can now be shared with students, researchers and emerging public leaders.
Nine of the OPPA Congressional Staff Oral History Project interviews are now available online.
About The Ohio Public Policy Archives
The Ohio Public Policy Archives (OPPA) is a collaborative effort of The Ohio State University Libraries and the John Glenn College of Public Affairs and is one of seven Distinctive Collections housed by University Libraries.
The OPPA collects, preserves and provides access to collections of historical documents relating to the function and history of policymaking in the federal branches of the U.S. government and informed by individuals and groups from the state of Ohio.