Repository:
Richard B. Russell Library for Political Research and Studies
Abstract: Bob Short is a journalist and writer who has been closely involved with Georgia politics since the 1950s. The audiovisual materials in his collection include films documenting Marvin Griffin's tenure as governor in the 1950s, Griffin's 1962 gubernatorial campaign against Carl Sanders, recordings documenting the States' Rights Councin in Georgia in the 1950s, and "A Visit with the Governor," a series of weekly addresses by then-Gov. Jimmy Carter that were recorded for broadcast in 1973-75.
Charles Robert "Bob" Short was born in Clayton, Georgia on April 17, 1932 and educated at Young Harris College, Georgia Southern University and the Woodrow Wilson College of Law. Upon discharge from the Air Force in 1956 he began his career as a sports writer for the Atlanta Journal, and then served in various capacities in the administrations of Georgia Governors Marvin Griffin, Ernest Vandiver, and Carl Sanders. Short coordinated the campaign of Jimmy Carter when Carter ran for governor of Georgia in 1966, and then worked as press secretary for Carter's opponent in that race, Governor Lester Maddox, in 1967 and 1968. In 1968 he was appointed regional director of the Office of Emergency Preparedness -- the forerunner of FEMA-- by President Lyndon B. Johnson. Entering the private sector in the early 1970s, Short worked for Hoffman LaRoche and Hospital Corporation of America, and for his own firm, Investmart, Inc., a marketing consulting business. Short remained active politically, consulting on a limited scale and serving as special assistant to Governor and Senator Zell Miller and Senator Johnny Isakson. Retired to Blairsville, Georgia, Short wrote the only biography of Lester Maddox, Everything is Pickrick (Mercer University Press, 1999), which won him the title "Author of the Year" from the Georgia Writers Association. In 2006 he began a lecture and discussion program at neighboring Young Harris College entitled Reflections on Georgia Politics, and then partnered with the Richard B. Russell Library for Political Research and Studies to make Reflections an oral history series. In 2010, former Georgia Secretary of State Cathy Cox called Short "the most effective politician never elected to public office."
The bulk of the audiovisual materials in this collection center around the governorships of Marvin Griffin and Jimmy Carter. Included are several 16mm films made for Marvin Griffin's 1962 gubernatorial campaign that show the former governor holding campaign rallies in towns across the state. This campaign is also documented in the film "The Griffin Years," a compilation of Griffin's achievements as governor from 1955-1959, that was created for the 1962 campaign. Bob Short's Audiovisual collection also includes a series of audio tapes of then-Gov. Jimmy Carter's weekly radio address, "A Visit with the Governor" that were recorded for broadcast in 1974. Other materials in this collection include recordings documenting the States' Rights Council in the late 1950s and interviews with Bob Short regarding his book on Lester Maddox.
Though the collection is open for research, reference copies of the audiovisual recordings are available upon request. Research requests will be filled as soon as possible and will be dependent upon the condition of the recordings.
Bob Short Audiovisual Materials Collection, Richard B. Russell Library for Political Research and Studies, University of Georgia Libraries, Athens, Georgia, 30602-1641.
Original and transfer media formats for this collection include 16mm film, VHS videocassettes, compact discs, audiocassettes, open reel audio tapes, DVD discs, and Umatic videocassettes.
It is the particular responsibility of the researcher to obtain permission to reproduce material for publication. Persons wishing to reproduce materials in the Russell Library collections should consult the Director. Reproduction or quotation of any item must contain a complete citation to the original.
