Roger Panetta unveils The Beacon Institute’s Oral History Project
Roger Panetta
The career of Roger Panetta, Ph.D. has centered on the Hudson River -- its history, its connectedness, its intricacies and its magic. Panetta is leading The Beacon Institute's Oral History Project and its first exciting endeavor, "An Oral History of Commercial Fishermen of the Hudson River." He is engaging students, teachers and interested citizens in developing the comprehensive archive, including a list of all known commercial fishermen of the Hudson River. Interviews will be conducted and transcribed with as many of the fishermen and their families as possible, memorializing a hidden oral history that is critical to understanding the river.
"Of all the Hudson River species, humans are my favorite," quips John Cronin, Director and CEO of The Beacon Institute, and a longtime Hudson River advocate and former commercial fisherman himself. A once thriving industry full of generations of fishermen, the commercial fishermen of the Hudson today can be considered an endangered species. Because of the river's toxic past, competition and bureaucratic regulations, commercial fishing is disappearing on the Hudson, removing a flow of history and culture from the region. It is for this reason that the Oral History Project is of urgent importance. By documenting and archiving the oral histories of commercial fishermen, this project will preserve the history and lay a foundation of reflection, education, and tradition that are, and always will remain, a testimony to the issues and wonders surrounding the Hudson River.
Panetta, currently a Professor of History at Fordham University, was the Chair of the History Department at Marymount College of Fordham University from 1992-2003. Panetta also is a Core Lecturer at Columbia University's School of Public Health. His involvement with other Beacon Institute programs includes participation in the Environmental Consortium's Steering Committee and as an advisor on the Project Development Team for River Summer 2005. His publications have focused on the history and culture of the Hudson River Valley, including his co-authorship of the 1996 book, The Hudson: An Illustrated Guide to the Living River. Panetta appeared in Bill Moyer's TV documentary, America's First River, as a featured narrator in 1999, and curated the exhibit, Navigating Through History: Boats of the Hudson at the Hudson River Museum where he is Adjunct Curator of History.
