One image from Lew Klein's archive shows him with President Lyndon Johnson (L).

The Klein collection is a vast study of the television industry in the 20th century.

It’s episodes of the landmark television show “American Bandstand” and “This is Your Life.” It’s photographs of entertainers and athletes.

And now, it’s a permanent resource in Temple University Libraries.

Temple celebrated the donation to the Special Collections Research Center and honored Lew and Janet Klein at an April 10 ceremony. Lew Klein, an adjunct professor in Temple’s School of Communications and Theater for 59 years, is chair of the school’s Board of Visitors.

“Primary sources are a true learning tool within a university,” said Provost Richard Englert. “It is the raw material upon which our students and scholars shape their discoveries.”

The material has been in the Klein’s house for years, in cartons in the basement, in drawers and in files marked “etc.” The papers consist of photographs, newspaper articles, pamphlets, letters, scrapbooks, brochures, videos, periodicals and other recorded and printed materials.

“Lew always felt that the papers… of his activities were souvenirs that he wanted to keep,” Janet Klein said.

In total, Lew Klein said that 23 cartons have been donated. “Janet tells me that we have lots more at home, so we’ll be adding to the collection.”

At the ceremony, he spoke briefly about his early days in the television industry, when there were only 3,000 television sets in Philadelphia. One of his first jobs was to produce a commercial for Dutch Boy paint with marionettes, a job that paid $5 a week.

(L-R): Lew and Janet Klein with Carol Lang, interim dean of University Libraries. (photo by Ryan S. Brandenberg/Temple University)

“We’re honored that Lew and Janet have entrusted their legacy to Temple,” said Carol Lang, interim dean of University Libraries. “The materials are a great complement to Temple’s strengths in documenting the cultural, social, economic and physical development of our region.”

Lew Klein has made an indelible mark on the television industry. In the 1950s, as programming director for the six Triangle Group stations, Klein served as executive producer of the landmark program “American Bandstand” at WFIL-TV. In 1970, he co-founded Gateway Communications, which owned four TV stations, and served as Gateway’s president from 1983 to 1993.

Klein is respected by the Temple community and media professionals for his ability to motivate and inspire those around him. Many of the careers of top television professionals across the country have been launched by his wise mentorship.

image courtesy Philadelphia Inquirer

Former SCT Professor John B. Roberts passed away March 8, 2012. He was 94.

A Temple professor from 1946 to 1988, Professor Roberts helped to found WRTI-FM in 1953.

Born in Poughkeepsie, N.Y., he was the son of the late John & Evelyn (Buckley) Roberts. Professor Roberts was a Navy veteran, having worked as a Navy broadcaster during World War II.

He was the founder of the Broadcast Pioneers of Philadelphia, which inducted him into its Hall of Fame in 1996 and named him Person of the Year in 1987.

Throughout his teaching career, Professor Roberts inspired countless students to pursue careers in communications and is one of the reasons SCT has found such success. Hear from a few people who benefited from knowing him:

Jaclyn Adler, RTF ’73. “You gave so much to so many, and as for me, I carry and apply the knowledge you shared each day.”

Paul Gluck, JOUR ’76, BTMM associate professor. “John Roberts set a near perfect example for those of us who were practicing journalists and then entered the academic world. He was an erudite and urbane presence here at Temple SCT, who offered insight and reassurance to students as an educator and served as an aspirational model for media professionals.”

Len Guercio, RTF ’83, SCT film lab coordinator. “I enrolled in his RTF 101 Communications Theory class and fell under his tutorial thrall. John Roberts was the consummate communications professional and professor. His classes were very well-organized, the information he imparted was systematized into logical, digestible components, and his radio and TV war stories—while sometimes seemingly tangential to the matter being discussed—always ultimately underscored the main points of the day’s lesson.”

William Johnson, WRTI station manager. “It’s doubtful he could have ever foreseen the 14-station network that now broadcasts in high-definition, serving hundreds of thousands of listeners each week in the Greater Philadelphia region. What he did see, though, was the need for students to have a practical application for the theory they were learning in the classroom, and the power of radio to reach and serve people in a way no other medium could achieve. Generations and thousands of students later, WRTI continues Roberts’ legacy of service to our community and excellence in broadcasting in what is now the age of digital media.”

Jim McCraw, JOUR ’66. “Professor Roberts tried to convince me to switch from print to radio, but I didn’t listen. Shame on me. A great guy who lived a long and wonderful life teaching kids like me.”

Dan Taylor, RTF ’79. “[He was] a top-notch professor. [I] learned a lot from him not only about the business, but how to be a professional.”