This series is a compilation of highlight views covering key aspects of Department of Transportation (DOT) history and mission, from the cast of Secretaries who guided the Department through its first three decades, to the DOT administrative nerve center in Washington, D.C., to the principal subjects of DOT policy-making--transportation mechanisms, systems, and infrastructure associated with the nation's roadways, airways, railways, and seaways. Images were selected by the headquarters photo unit from the expansive DOT central file ("Headquarters Photographic Assignment File Documenting Officials, Events, and Facilities, 1968-2004," NAID 73981787), or from other sources.
Represented in the series with official portraits, and, in most cases, assorted activity shots as well (meeting, speaking, touring) are 12 of the Department's first 13 Secretaries, including Alan Boyd (1967-1969), John Volpe (1969-1972), Claude Brinegar (1973-1975), William T. Coleman, Jr., (1975-1977), Brock Adams (1977-1979), Andrew Lewis, Jr., (1981-1983), Elizabeth Hanford Dole (1983-1987), James Burnley IV (1987-1989), Samuel Skinner (1989-1991), Andrew Card, Jr. (1992-1993), Federico Pena (1993-1997), and Rodney Slater (1997-2001). There is also representation of a less systematic variety for Deputy Secretaries and heads of such component agencies as the Federal Aviation Administration, Federal Highway Administration, and U.S. Coast Guard. Among those additional officials whose portraits are included are the pioneering women Deputy Secretaries, Mimi Weyforth Dawson (1987-1989) and Elaine Chao (1989-1991).
The original DOT headquarters facility, the Nassif Building, receives considerable attention in this series, with exterior views taken from multiple angles during multiple decades. Interior shots focus heavily on the varied activities and resources of the Transportation Administrative Service Center (TASC), a mid-1990's creation whose operations extended from data management centers to employee health and fitness rooms to the photography studio. Plans for a 21st Century successor to the Nassif Building are also documented, via photographic reproductions of 1990's design drawings for a massive new headquarters facility to be built in the vicinity of Washington, D.C.'s Union Station.
The series provides wide-ranging coverage of transportation modes and systems, with an accent on the Washington, D.C. headquarters region but representation from around the country as well. There are numerous photos of commercial aircraft, airports, and air traffic control centers, including a set of late 1950's-early 1960's images showcasing what was then the "state of the art" in airplane manufacture, radar, navigation aids, training, and flight service, as well as a "Story of the FAA" sequence, from later years, reflecting the considerable technological and administrative changes.
Views of trains and railway lines underscore transportation traditions and also new trends on the high-speed rail front; and images of mass transit bus and rail systems (especially Washington, D.C.'s Metro system) underscore significant developments in urban transportation during the DOT era. Highways, road construction projects, traffic congestion challenges, auto safety devices, and experimental natural gas-powered autos all receive extensive coverage, as do developments in the maritime realm, with a particular focus on Coast Guard vessels and aircraft in action. Photos of petroleum and natural gas pipelines--documenting projects old and new, illustrating safety features and safety problems--point up the breadth of DOT's transportation oversight responsibilities.
The vast bulk of the photos in this series, especially in the official portrait, headquarters building, and TASC categories, came from DOT headquarters photographers (among them, Jay Carroll, Lance Strozier, and Ben Mitchell), component agency photographers, or other federal government camerapeople. Sprinkled through the coverages of transportation modes are occasional entries drawn from other sources, chiefly state and local transportation authorities and commercial firms.
