Victor J. Vitanza organized and directed this national conference, which was held October 12-15, 1989. The conference, attended by over 100 people, was the first conference including scholars from both English and Communications to consider the issue of historiography in respect to the field of rhetoric broadly defined.

The Keynote speaker was Hans Kellner (Michigan State U; now UTA): "After the Fall: Reflections on the History of Rhetoric"

A number of the papers presented at the conference, including the keynote address, were rewritten and published in Writing Histories of Rhetoric, Ed. Victor J. Vitanza. Carbondale: SIUP, 1994.

The participants--those who read position statements or served as caucus chairs--included

Janet Atwill, Michelle Ballif, James A. Berlin, Sharon Crowledy, Lorie Goodman, Don Bialostosky, Barbara Biesecker, Carole Blair, Robert Connors, William Covino, Theresa Enos, Lester Faigley, Rosalind Gabin, S. Michael Halloran, Patricia Harkin, Winifred Bryan Hormer, Susan Jarratt, Charles Kneupper, C. H. Knoblauch, Michael Leff, Allan Megill, Stephen M. North, John Poulakos, Takis Poulakos, John Schilb, Robert Scott, James Sosnoski, Nancy S. Streuver, Jane Sutton, C. Jan Swearingen, Victor J. Vitanza, Kathleen Welch, Marjorie Woods, Lynn Worsham.