KACV is proud to present the Texas Panhandle WWII Stories School Curriculum Guide which resulted from a unique outreach project. Intended to collect, preserve and educate about local World War II stories, the Texas Panhandle WWII Stories project was part of a nation-wide outreach initiative surrounding Ken Burns’ documentary, “The War,” which premiered in September 2007 on KACV.

Over the course of eighteen months, the Texas Panhandle WWII Stories project provided training workshops to thirty senior citizens associations, nursing homes, libraries, museums and high schools throughout the Texas Panhandle. These partners conducted personal interviews in their communities by checking out digital video cameras from KACV.

These interviews, in addition to those conducted by KACV, resulted in approximately 1,000 interview segments posted to KACV’s web site. The project also offered three other venues for sharing these stories:

1. a traveling exhibit, available free of charge, which highlighted many Panhandle residents’ WWII stories and photographs
2. on-air productions showcasing local WWII stories including the programs, World War II: The Panhandle Project and A Cathedral in the Desert: the POWs of Hereford Camp 31
3. School Curriculum materials presented in this booklet, DVD and accompanying web site, http://www.esc16.net/kacvww2lessons

This School Curriculum product is the result of eight high school, middle school and elementary school educators working with editors and KACV staff to develop multi-disciplinary lesson plans, integrating local stories into what is taught in Texas Panhandle classrooms about WWII.

As a project partner, Panhandle Plains Historical Museum will be the final repository for these stories, thus providing a lasting archival venue for research and preservation. Panhandle Plains has also worked with KACV to develop a Traveling Trunk Program which utilizes material from this School Curriculum Guide as well as original WWII artifacts for use in the classroom, or any other setting which would benefit from education about WWII and the Texas Panhandle.

As another project partner, Region 16 ESC has been instrumental in the development of this School Curriculum Guide. All content shared in this Guide, including additional handouts, resources and KACV WWII Video Clips, are available on the enclosed DVD or through Region 16 at
http://www.esc16.net/kacvww2lessons.

KACV is grateful to this project’s many supporters and partners who helped make all of this possible. It has been an honor working together to preserve and educate about Texas Panhandle residents’ experiences in WWII.

In extraordinary times, there are no ordinary lives.
- Ken Burns and Lynn Novick, “The War”