PGCS History

If you like to have "the facts". A personal message from its creator, David W. Dole

Where did PGCS come from? During the nineteenth century, thousands of Norwegians sought their futures in America.
Just as Norwegians in America trek Eastward to seek the farms & fjords from which their grandparents fled, todays
second, third and fourth-generations in Norway wonder what happened to those early émigrés and their descendants ...
and now come West to look for them. Two of their most popular destinations are the Norwegian American Historical Association at St. Olaf College in Northfield, MN and the Vesterheim Genealogical Center in Madison, WI.

Andrew Rowberg, editor of the "Northfield Independent" newspaper, started an obituary file in 1913. In 1938 Rowberg turned his file over to NAHA but continued to add to it until his death in 1969 when the file numbered 130,000. The
obits continued to be collected and in 1991, NAHA asked local members to mount these Norsk obituaries on 3x5 cards – write the name plainly along the long edge – and return them to add to the Rowberg card-file Collection.

Mrs. Dole took one group of 400 obits and then two more groups. I suggested she dictate the names and let me put them
in my computer, print them on dry-gum paper in larger, bold, easily-read type. NAHA was delighted with the result and
my wife has, to date, mounted almost 50,000. The NAHA Rowberg file is now about 180,000. Several years ago, the Vesterheim Genealogical Center discovered that their founder, Gerhard Naeseth, had collected an estimated 150,000
obits. Kay has made a small dent in these and some obits supplied by others – some 25,000 to date.

While helping her, I realized that most obits did not bear either the paper’s name nor the publication date. Deciding that
one person COULD make a difference - could at least help FUTURE genealogists, I developed PGCS.

Could one enthusiast, well-along-in-years, bring PGCS into being? Remembering the “well-along-in-years” hero in
“Man of La Mancha”, I figured I could emulate Don Quixote. However, when you have my years and a quarter-century experience in creating, developing and operating a 4.5-billion identity code system for US television commercials
and programs and in working with multiple associations, TV networks, cable systems and stations, you know that you
don't start by going door-to-door to newspaper publishers. My experience told me that the state and local genealogical associations could be “key”.

I wondered: How do I get these associations to agree with the PGCS goal and promulgate PGCS? Answer: By
convincing national associations to lend their “weight”. Question: But, how to get their support? Answer: By getting to
their members. So, In 1994 I started writing, phoning and visiting individuals doing genealogy, reference librarians,
museum historians, etc. For one old fellow tilting at big windmills, I haven't fared too badly: by early 1997 I had been in
touch with and/or visited over 200 such folk in 47 states and 5 provinces of Canada – 120 libraries and 67 genealogical
and historical societies.

Gaining Approvals. We sought approval by & a representative on PGCS' “Steering Committee” from NGS, FGS,APG
and CGC. In December 1995, the National Genealogical Society approved & named Dereka Smith, their Librarian.
In January 1996, the Federation of Genealogical Societies “fully endorsed” PGCS & Curt Witcher, then President,
joined the “Steering Committee”. Jean Legried, CGRS, an early PGCS enthusiast, joined the "Steering Committee" representing the Association of Professional Genealogists in March 1996. And finally, in October '96, the Council of
Genealogy Columnists enthusiastically gave PGCS its support and it's President, Regina Hines-Ellison, joined the “Steering Committee”.

We also sought approval of the American Library Association & gained the enthusiastic, unanimous approval of its Genealogical Committee. However, we learned PGCS would also have to make presentations and gain the approval of
the History Section, the Reference and Adult Services Division and finally the Board of the ALA. Based on experience,
this would cost something like $10,000 and take at least three more years, so we “took a pass”. With the low-budget,
simple operation of PGCS, I saw no reason to spend such an amount and, in my 80's, I felt the time investment was wasteful.

Why is Dole in this at all – what's in it for him?   The answer is simple.   People usually are “in” something for financial gain.
None of my approaches on behalf of PGCS have asked for financial support.   Why?   Because the PGCS database is a simple thing – it doesn't need multiple staff nor fancy offices.   It simply needs adoption by the newspapers.    I simply
want to provide this benefit to genealogists, librarians and researchers – not create a big enterprise with offices and employees.   It is not needed.   As I said, the answer is simple !

Will not “on-line” computerization of newspapers eliminate need for PGCS? Even if, by the year 2100, 90% of all
individuals are computerized and 90% of newspapers are “on-line”, there will be no less need for PGCS! And think
of the frustrated genealogists during the next hundred years & beyond; such as Patricia Haslam, genealogist of Stowe VT,
who emphasized their plight with, “I just wish (PGCS) had been invented 27 years ago when I started!”

When PGCS becomes operative, how will it continue long-term?    Lord willing, I would like to see PGCS operating
well in the US – and at least make a start at spreading it outside the US!   PGCS coding is, as should be, designed for
world wide use.   Once truly started, I hope some national or international body will take over it's simple database as a
small part of their operation.   PGCS could easily be handled part-time by one person; operating should take little time,
once accepted.   But not Dole at 85 years or better!

So, we turned to this Web page. And we pin our hopes that the thousands of genealogists, librarians and researchers we
can reach through the Internet will recognize the usefulness of PGCS and help us. We know, from our several years of
delving into genealogy on a personal basis, these folks are willing helpers and sharers of knowledge. We hope that this
web site information will lead them to register with PGCS and shortly thereafter receiving sample letters and application
form from us, will seek simultaneous efforts from others in their area and request the local newspapers to apply for and
adopt PGCS coding.

We expect it will start mainly through the smaller market papers, but spread, gradually, to papers everywhere!
Wish us luck – and help us by sending letters! Letters! Letters!

Thank you for your interest.
David W. Dole