Tina Tate Radio-TV Gallery, U.S. House of Representatives (1972–1981) Director, Radio-TV Gallery, U.S. House of Representatives (1981–2007) Oral History Interviews Final Edited Transcripts June 28, 2007 July 12, 2007 July 1, 2008 August 28, 2008 Office of the Historian U.S. House of Representatives Washington, D.C. “Oh, the director has quite a bit more responsibility. All the logistics planning for the events that we do is really up to you to set the tone for it—you arrange which staff is responsible for which part of it. You have to work with the networks on anything that’s a major event, like the State of the Union, which is an annual event, and you not only do the State of the Union, but you have to do the Democratic response or the Republican response. And the Statuary Hall setup for the react for Members of Congress. So it’s a good two weeks’ worth of work, and you’re the one who is assigning everyone to their specific task, but you’re ultimately responsible for all of it.” Tina Tate, July 12, 2007 Thinking back on her early days in the gallery, Tina Tate recalls, “When we were first there in the ’70s, before we renovated, there wasn’t even an individual desk for each person . it was musical desks. If anybody left, you got up; there were three desks and four people, so you would just have to find a place to sit.” Image courtesy of Tina Tate Table of Contents Interview Abstract i Interviewee Biography i Editing Practices ii Citation Information ii Interviewer Biography iii Interview One 1 Interview Two 51 Interview Three 85 Interview Four 124 Notes 180 Index 181 Abstract Tina Tate’s recollections of her 34-year career in the House Radio-TV Gallery provide an invaluable window into the daily routine of a long-standing House institution. Created in 1939, the House Radio Gallery expanded to admit TV broadcasters in 1953. As only the third director in the gallery’s history, Tate witnessed major changes during her tenure, notably, rapid technological advancements in media broadcasting and the growing influence of television. Tate’s detailed account underscores her role as mediator between the House Leadership, which was determined to maintain the chamber’s decorum and rules, and broadcasters demanding access to cover important media events. The topics discussed in these interviews range from the House Radio-TV Gallery’s role in the coverage of Joint Sessions to major occurrences, including the 1998 shooting at the Capitol, two impeachments, and the House on September 11, 2001. Biography Ruth (Tina) Tate was born on September 5, 1944, in Atlanta, Georgia, to Clifford Holmes McGaughey, Sr., the owner of a sporting goods store, and Mary Elizabeth Barnes, a homemaker. After earning an A.A. degree from Stephens College in Columbia, Missouri, Tate graduated from Emory College in Atlanta with a B.A. in history. In 1966 she married Danny Clyde Tate, a lawyer; the couple raised one child, Daniel Clyde Tate, Jr. Tina Tate worked at the University of Georgia libraries while her husband was in law school and later took a job as a receptionist in Atlanta with Merrill Lynch, transferring to Washington, D.C., in September 1969, when her husband accepted a position with Georgia Senator Herman Talmadge. After working as an office manager at Cox Broadcasting from 1970 to 1972, Tate joined the House Radio-TV Gallery on July 15, 1972. The first woman employed in the House Radio-TV Gallery, Tate served as an assistant superintendent for nine years before being promoted to director in October 1981. As director, Tate oversaw the daily operations of the House Radio-TV Gallery, where she facilitated coverage of House proceedings for radio and TV broadcasters. Her duties encompassed standard tasks, such as supervising the daily log of House proceedings for reporters, as well as more-complex responsibilities like coordinating radio and TV coverage of major media events such as Joint Sessions and lying-in- state ceremonies. Tate also participated in national political conventions that spanned nearly two decades, credentialing broadcasters and allocating sky box, standup, and radio positions. Throughout her career, Tate strove to balance the needs of the gallery’s radio and TV broadcasters with the rules and traditions of the House. Tate retired from the House on May 31, 2007. She served as the director of media relations at the Newseum in Washington, D.C., from July 2007 to July 2009. Tate and her husband reside in Washington, D.C. i Editing Practices In preparing interview transcripts for publication, the editors sought to balance several priorities: • As a primary rule, the editors aimed for fidelity to the spoken word and the conversational style in accord with generally accepted oral history practices. • The editors made minor editorial changes to the transcripts in instances where they believed such changes would make interviews more accessible to readers. For instance, excessive false starts and filler words were removed when they did not materially affect the meaning of the ideas expressed by the interviewee. • In accord with standard oral history practices, interviewees were allowed to review their transcripts, although they were encouraged to avoid making substantial editorial revisions and deletions that would change the conversational style of the transcripts or the ideas expressed therein. • The editors welcomed additional notes, comments, or written observations that the interviewees wished to insert into the record and noted any substantial changes or redactions to the transcript. • Copy-editing of the transcripts was based on the standards set forth in The Chicago Manual of Style. The first reference to a Member of Congress (House or Senate) is underlined in the oral history transcript. For more information about individuals who served in the House or Senate, please refer to the online Biographical Directory of the United States Congress, http://bioguide.congress.gov and the “People Search” section of the History, Art & Archives website, http://history.house.gov. For more information about the U.S. House of Representatives oral history program contact the Office of House Historian at (202) 226-5525, or via email at [email protected]. Citation Information When citing this oral history interview, please use the format below: “Tina Tate Oral History Interview,” Office of the Historian, U.S. House of Representatives, [date of interview]. ii Interviewer Biography Kathleen Johnson is a senior historical editor for the Office of the Historian, U.S. House of Representatives. She earned a B.A. in history from Columbia University and holds two master’s degrees from North Carolina State University in education and public history. In 2004, she helped to create the House’s first oral history program, focusing on collecting the institutional memory of Members and staff. She co-authored two books: Women in Congress: 1917–2006 (Washington, D.C.: Government Printing Office, 2006) and Black Americans in Congress: 1870–2007 (GPO, 2008). iii — TINA TATE — INTERVIEW ONE JOHNSON: This is Kathleen Johnson interviewing Tina Tate, the former director of the House Radio-Television Gallery. The date is June 28, 2007, and the interview is taking place in the Legislative Resource Center, Cannon House Office Building. Today, I would like to start off with some biographical information. When and where were you born? TATE: I was born September 5, 1944, in Atlanta, Georgia. JOHNSON: What were the names and occupations of your parents? TATE: My mother was Mary Elizabeth Barnes, and she was a homemaker. She worked one small part of her life, but not very long, where my grandmother worked all of her life. My father was Clifford Holmes McGaughey, Sr., and he had a sporting goods store that was, at that time, the premier independent sporting goods store in the South. JOHNSON: What schools did you attend? TATE: I went to Stephens College in Columbia, Missouri, and got an A.A. It is now a four-year school, but at that time it was only a two-year school. Then, I went to Emory College and got a B.A. History was my major. JOHNSON: Before working for the House of Representatives, what were some of your jobs? http://history.house.gov/Oral-History/ 1 TATE: Actually, I only worked for two places, well, three, before I worked for the House. One, when my husband was in law school, I worked at the University of Georgia libraries, and two, I worked for Merrill Lynch, both in Atlanta and then transferred up here when we came to Washington. I worked for Merrill Lynch here and then I went to work for Cox Broadcasting. That was one of the first independent television bureaus to open in Washington. Many have opened since; many have closed since. Cox is one of the only ones that opened and stayed opened the entire time, and this was in 1970, and I went to work as their office person, receptionist, office manager. I was the only one that wasn’t a journalist, and it was a very small bureau, and that’s how I got to know what the Hill did because the camera crews and correspondents would work on the Hill, and they would work with the gallery, so that’s how I became familiar with the galleries. JOHNSON: You mentioned you were married. What’s the name of your husband, and when did you get married? TATE: My husband’s real name is Danny Clyde Tate. It’s not Daniel, it’s Danny. It’s very Southern. We were married in Atlanta in 1966. JOHNSON: Your husband worked for Senator [Herman Eugene] Talmadge? TATE: He did.