The Cushing collection consists largely of sound recordings of a selection of the "In Our Opinion" radio program. There are also additional textual materials: clippings and other documents pertaining to the program and some transcriptions of particular programs.
The sound recordings of the "In Our Opinion" program were originally phonograph transmission discs. Nearly impossible to listen to because of their oversize format and the absence of appropriate players, the library applied for and received a grant in 1977 from the NHPRC to transfer a selection of the more than 600 discs onto reel-to-reel tapes. Many of the discs already showed signs of deterioration. The selection of what discs to preserve was based on the significance of the topics discussed and the importance of the interviewees. Among the guests were Senators Arthur Vandenberg and Homer Ferguson, automobile executive (later governor) George Romney, Congressman George Dondero, military historian General S.L.A. Marshall, political science Professor James K, Pollock, Governor Kim Sigler, Lowell Thomas, Thor Heyerdahl, Edward R. Murrow, and Episcopal Bishop Richard S. Emrich, among many others. Topics ranged from state and national politics, the impact of the war, foreign affairs, post-war re-conversion of the economy, and issues specific to Detroit and Michigan.
George W. Cushing, was born in Brighton, Michigan on November 25, 1888. In his career, he was both an advertising executive and a newsman. In 1909 he became a reporter on the Detroit News, also working while there in various editorial capacities. In 1912, he joined the Detroit office of the Taylor-Critchfield Advertising Agency; in 1914 he became first editor of the weekly publication of the Detroit Board of Commerce, The Detroiter.
In late 1915, Cushing was made advertising manager of the Federal Motor Truck Company, leaving here to join the Hudson Motor Car Company as advertising manager. He next helped to form the advertising agency of McKinney, Marsh and Cushing which handled advertising for the Ford Motor Company. After this he became first advertising director for the Graham-Paige Motors Corporation. He left this to become Detroit manager of Cosmopolitan Magazine for six years, and after that he was selected chief of information of the National Highway's Users Conference.
Cushing returned to Detroit in 1941 to join WJR as news editor and vice president. In 1942, he became moderator of "In Our Opinion" a weekly radio news program. He was assisted on many of the programs by regular panelists Detroit Free Press staff writers and columnists Adrian Fuller, Royce Howes, and William Coughlin. The program aired from 1942 to 1955 when Cushing retired. All together, he moderated 641 broadcasts, interviewing such guests as Senators Arthur Vandenberg and Homer Ferguson, Detroit Mayor Edward Jeffries.
In November 1954, Cushing began another series of program entitled "World Neighbors" which overlapped with "In Our Opinion" for a year.
