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Penne Laingen Yellow Ribbon CollectionAFC 1991/017Prepared by Sarah Bradley LeightonFebruary 2006
Biographical HistoryPenne (Penelope) Laingen is the wife of Bruce Laingen who was serving as the charge d'affaires of the United States Embassy in Tehran when Iranian student revolutionaries seized the Embassy on November 4, 1979, and held the staff hostage until January 20, 1981. A few days after Bruce was taken hostage, Penne Laingen hung a yellow ribbon around a tree in the yard of her Bethesda, Maryland home as a symbol of support for her husband and the other American hostages. She did this as a way to bolster her own strength and that of their three sons throughout the crisis. Return to the Table of Contents Scope and ContentIn 1979, Penne (Penelope) Laingen tied a yellow ribbon around a tree in front of her Bethesda, Maryland home when her husband, Bruce, was among those taken hostage in the United States Embassy in Tehran, Iran. The Laingens donated this yellow ribbon to the Library of Congress in 1991. The collection contains sound recordings and a photograph from that donation ceremony. Other recordings include an interview with Bruce and Penne Laingen conducted by American Folklife Center reference specialist, Gerald E. Parsons, on April 15, 1991. During the interview, the Laingens discussed their experiences during the hostage crisis and their use of the yellow ribbon and the symbolic significance it acquired. The collection also contains photographs of the Laingens taken during this interview and photographs of yellow ribbon displays during the Persian Gulf War in 1991. Return to the Table of Contents Selected Search TermsPeople
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Return to the Table of Contents Container ListSeries I: ManuscriptsFinding Aid. 8 leaves.Correspondence - American Folklife Center and Laingens. February to July 1991. 8 leaves.Santino, Jack. "Yellow Ribbons and Seasonal Flags: The Folk Assemblage of War." The Journal of American Folklore, 105, no. 415, (Winter 1992): 19-33. Drafts with comments and published version. 120 leaves.Yellow Ribbon articles by Gerald Parsons, American Folklife Center reference specialist. 1981, 1991. 12 leaves."Laingens Present Yellow Ribbon to LC." Library of Congress Gazette, 2, no. 28 (July 12, 1991): 3. (2 copies). 16 leaves."Original Yellow Ribbon Given to LC." Library of Congress Information Bulletin, 50, no. 14, (July 15, 1991): 263. (5 copies). 50 leaves.Parker, Barbara. "Penne Laingen's Wait." Washington Post, (Monday, December 10, 1979). 2 leaves.Collected Articles: Significance of the Color Yellow. 1979-1981. 15 leaves.Yellow Ribbon Acquisition Ceremony. Administrative Material. July 2, 1991. 42 leaves.Yellow Ribbon Acquisition Ceremony. Press Coverage. July 2, 1991. 17 leaves.Yellow Ribbons and "No Greater Love" (Humanitarian Organization). 1980-1990. 17 leaves.Information regarding GR01 - Poster of Foshay Tower. 1981. 2 leaves.[Original poster located in Reading Room map case.] Sound Recording Logs: SR01, SR02, SR03. Penne and Bruce Laingen interviewed on April 15, 1991, by Gerald Parsons. 13 leaves.Sound Recording Transcript: SR01, SR02, SR03. Penne and Bruce Laingen interviewed on April 15, 1991, by Gerald Parsons. Transcript by Peggy Yocom. 10 leaves.Moving Image Log: MV01. WRC Yellow Ribbon. Recording of the WRC, NBC News 4 nightly broadcast of the six o'clock news in Washington, DC featuring the Laingen yellow ribbon donation to the Library of Congress. July 2, 1991. 1 leaf.Series II: Sound RecordingsPenne and Bruce Laingen interviewed on April 15, 1991, by Gerald Parsons. Tape 1 of 3. One 7-inch reel recorded in stereo at 7.5 ips.Penne and Bruce Laingen interviewed on April 15, 1991, by Gerald Parsons. Tape 2 of 3. One 7-inch reel recorded in stereo at 7.5 ips.Penne and Bruce Laingen interviewed on April 15, 1991, by Gerald Parsons. Tape 3 of 3. One 7-inch reel recorded in stereo at 7.5 ips.Recording of "Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Ole Oak Tree" sung by Tony Orlando and Dawn. Commercial recording dubbed on 1 audiocassette.Recording of "She wore a yellow ribbon" sung by Mrs. Byron Coffin, Sr. of Alameda, CA. Recorded by Sidney Robertson Cowell in April 1939. Dubbed on 1 audiocassette. Accessible online at http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.afc/collafc.af000002.Recordings of versions of "Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Ole Oak Tree" by Roger Williams and Andre Kostelanetz. Commercial recording dubbed on 1 audiocassette.Recording of the donation of the original yellow ribbon to the Library of Congress in the Librarian's office, 6th Floor Madison Building, Washington, D.C. on July 2, 1991. One 10-inch sound tape reel recorded at 7.5 ips, 2 tracks.Series III: Graphic ImagesPhotograph: PH001 (contact sheet and negatives).Twenty-eight images of Penne and Bruce Laingen at their Bethesda, Maryland home during their interview with Gerald Parsons. April 15, 1991. One black-and-white contact sheet, 8 x 10 in. Five black-and-white negative strips with twenty-eight frames. Photograph: PH002 (print, slide, and negative).An image of Bruce and Penne Laingen holding up the yellow ribbon around a tree in their Bethesda, Maryland yard. April 15, 1991. One black-and-white print, 8 x 10 in. One black-and-white negative strip with one frame. One color 35 mm slide of the same image. Photograph: PH003 (print).An image of Penne Laingen presenting the original yellow ribbon to Librarian of Congress, James H. Billington. July 2, 1991. One black-andwhite print, 8 x 10 in. Photographs: PH004 - PH024 (prints and negatives).Twenty-one images of yellow ribbons displayed in Maryland and Virginia during the Persian Gulf War, 1991. Photographer not known. Twenty-one color prints, 3 x 5 in. Six color negative strips with twenty-one frames. Slides: PH025 - PH034Ten images of Penne and Bruce Laingen at their Bethesda, Maryland home during their interview with Gerald Parsons. April 15, 1991. Ten color slides, 35 mm. Two copies of a color posterFoshay Tower at 821 Marquette Ave., Minneapolis, Hennepin County, Minnesota tied with an enormous yellow ribbon. 1981. Two color posters, 21 x 30 in. [See Reading Room Map Case] Series IV: Moving ImagesWRC Yellow Ribbon. Moving image of the WRC, NBC News 4 nightly broadcast of the six o'clock news in Washington, DC, featuring the Laingen yellow ribbon donation to the Library of Congress. July 2, 1991. One videocassette (VHS) in color with sound. See Folder 15 for the Moving Image Log.Series V: Artifacts"God Bless America" pin featuring an American flag and a yellow ribbon. February 25, 1991. One novelty pin, 2 in."Yellow Ribbon Cocktail" sticks made in the shape of a ribbon. Undated. Eight novelty plastic sticks, 7 in."Free the Hostages" yellow ribbon pin framed by No Greater Love, a humanitarian organization that claims to have spearheaded the yellow ribbon campaign during the Iran hostage crisis. November 4, 1979 January 20, 1981. One framed item, 6 x 6 x 1.25 in."Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Ole Oak Tree" yellow ribbon display sign. Undated. One poster mounted on a plastic display stand, 8 x 10 in.Mounted photograph of Bruce and Penne Laingen holding up their original yellow ribbon in the yard of their Bethesda, Maryland home. April 15, 1991. One color photograph mounted on a plastic display stand, 5.5 x 8 in.The original yellow ribbon hung by Penne Laingen in honor of her husband, Bruce Laingen, while he was held hostage in Iran. 1979-1981. One oilcloth ribbon, 21 x 44 in.Series VI: Electronic MediaComputer Disk: CF01Administrative files related to the collection. One computer disk. Collection Concordance by FormatReturn to the Table of Contents Return to the Table of Contents |
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