]> http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.afc/eadafc.af006007 Penne Laingen Yellow Ribbon Collection AFC 1991/017 Prepared by Sarah Bradley Leighton American Folklife Center, Library of Congress
Washington, D.C.
February 2006 Guides to the Collections in the Archive of Folk Culture Encoded by Amarantha Dyuaaxchs, September 2006 ; Revised by Nora Yeh Finding aid written in English September 2009 Nora Yeh Collection Summary AFC 1991/017 Penne Laingen Yellow Ribbon Collection 1979-1991 Archive of Folk Culture, American Folklife Center Library of Congress
Washington, D.C.
3 linear feet 4 boxes (containing 15 folders of manuscript material; 7 sound recordings; 63 unique graphic images; 1 videocassette; 1 computer disk; 7 artifacts) Laingen, Penne Laingen, L. Bruce Parsons, Gerald E. English Penne Laingen tied a yellow ribbon around a tree in her yard in Bethesda, Maryland in 1979 when her husband, L. Bruce Laingen, was taken hostage at the United States Embassy in Tehran, Iran, and it remained there until his release in 1981. This ribbon was donated to the Library of Congress in 1991. Additional documentation includes an interview with the Laingens conducted by Gerald E. Parsons in 1991; a videocassette of news coverage of the donation; photographs of the Laingens; photographs of yellow ribbons displayed in the United States during the 1991 Gulf War; copies of sound recordings of popular and folk songs about yellow ribbons; and related manuscripts, artifacts, and posters collected by the American Folklife Center. Scope and Content

In 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.

 Biographical History

Penne (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.

 Selected Search Terms

The following terms have been used to index the description of this collection in the Library's online catalog. They are grouped by name of person or organization, by subject or location, and by occupation and listed alphabetically therein.

 Personal Names Laingen, L. Bruce, interviewee. Laingen, L. Bruce. Laingen, Penne, interviewee. Laingen, Penne. Parsons, Gerald E., interviewer. Organizations American Folklife Center. Archive of Folk Culture (Library of Congress) Subjects Iran Hostage Crisis, 1979-1981--Personal narratives. Persian Gulf War, 1991--United States--Anecdotes. Ribbons--Symbolic aspects. Ribbons--United States--Folklore. Forms of Material Artifacts. Interviews. Photographs. Posters. Sound recordings. Videocassettes. Administrative Information Access

The collection is open for research. Duplication of the collection materials may be governed by copyright and other restrictions.

 Acquisition

Penne and Bruce Laingen donated their yellow ribbon to the Library of Congress on July 2, 1991. Additional materials were collected by employees of the American Folklife Center.

 Preferred Citation

Penne Laingen Yellow Ribbon Collection (AFC 1991/017), Archive of Folk Culture, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress, Washington, D.C.

 Bibliography

Laingen, L. Bruce. Yellow Ribbon: The Secret Journal of Bruce Laingen. Washington: Brassey's (US), 1992.

Letters of L. Bruce Laingen, 1980 (MSS6085). Forms part of the Miscellaneous Manuscripts collection in the Manuscript Division, Library of Congress, Washington, D.C.

"New Yellow Ribbon Tradition," An online presentation on the American Folklife Center web site, http://www.loc.gov/folklife/ribbons/index.html

Santino, Jack. "Apply a Ribbon Magnet to the Ole Humvee: The Yellow Ribbon Tradition Reborn." Folklife Center News, 27, no. 3, Summer 2005.

"Yellow Ribbon" subject files in the American Folklife Reading Room, Library of Congress, Washington, D.C.

 Collection Concordance by Format Quantity Physical Extent (original) Location Item Numbers Manuscript Materials 15 folders Box 1 Folders 1-15 Sound Recordings 3 7-inch reel to reel audiotapes Box 2 SR01-SR03 3 audiocassettes Box 2 SR04-SR06 1 10-inch reel audiotape Box 2 SR07 Graphic Images 1 black-and-white contact sheet Box 1 PH001 28 black-and-white negatives Box 1 PH001, PH002 2 black-and-white prints Box 1 PH002, PH003 21 color prints Box 1 PH004-PH024 21 color negatives Box 1 PH004-PH024 11 color slides Box 1 PH002, PH025-PH034 2 color posters Map case GR01 Moving Images 1 videocassette (VHS), sound, color Box 2 MV01 Electronic Media 1 3.5-inch computer disk Box 1 CF01 Artifacts 5 novelty and display items Box 3 AR01-AR05 1 oilcloth ribbon Box 4 AR06
Container List Series I: Manuscripts 1 1 Finding Aid. 8 leaves. 2 Correspondence - American Folklife Center and Laingens. February to July 1991. 8 leaves. 3 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. 4 Yellow Ribbon articles by Gerald Parsons, American Folklife Center reference specialist. 1981, 1991. 12 leaves. 5 "Laingens Present Yellow Ribbon to LC." Library of Congress Gazette, 2, no. 28 (July 12, 1991): 3. (2 copies). 16 leaves. 6 "Original Yellow Ribbon Given to LC." Library of Congress Information Bulletin, 50, no. 14, (July 15, 1991): 263. (5 copies). 50 leaves. 7 Parker, Barbara. "Penne Laingen's Wait." Washington Post, (Monday, December 10, 1979). 2 leaves. 8 Collected Articles: Significance of the Color Yellow. 1979-1981. 15 leaves. 9 Yellow Ribbon Acquisition Ceremony. Administrative Material. July 2, 1991. 42 leaves. 10 Yellow Ribbon Acquisition Ceremony. Press Coverage. July 2, 1991. 17 leaves. 11 Yellow Ribbons and "No Greater Love" (Humanitarian Organization). 1980-1990. 17 leaves. 12 Information regarding GR01 - Poster of Foshay Tower. 1981. 2 leaves.

[Original poster located in Reading Room map case.]

 13 Sound Recording Logs: SR01, SR02, SR03. Penne and Bruce Laingen interviewed on April 15, 1991, by Gerald Parsons. 13 leaves. 14 Sound Recording Transcript: SR01, SR02, SR03. Penne and Bruce Laingen interviewed on April 15, 1991, by Gerald Parsons. Transcript by Peggy Yocom. 10 leaves. 15 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 Recordings 2

Note: All contents have been removed from Box 2 and are shelved separately.

 SR01 Penne 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. SR02 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. SR03 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. SR04 Recording of "Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Ole Oak Tree" sung by Tony Orlando and Dawn. Commercial recording dubbed on 1 audiocassette. SR05 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. SR06 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. SR07 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 Images 1 16 Photograph: 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.

 17 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.

 18 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.

 19 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.

 20 Slides: PH025 - PH034

Ten 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.

 GR01 Two copies of a color poster

Foshay 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 Images 2

Note: All contents have been removed from Box 2 and are shelved separately.

 MV01 WRC 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 3 AR001 "God Bless America" pin featuring an American flag and a yellow ribbon. February 25, 1991. One novelty pin, 2 in. AR002 "Yellow Ribbon Cocktail" sticks made in the shape of a ribbon. Undated. Eight novelty plastic sticks, 7 in. AR003 "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. AR004 "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. AR005 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. 4 AR006 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 Media 1 21 Computer Disk: CF01

Administrative files related to the collection. One computer disk.