Forums - Thread Details
  • State Suggested Answer
  • Replies 1 reply
  • Answers 1 answer
  • Subscribers 58 subscribers
  • Views 214 views
  • Users 0 members are here
Thread Options
Options
Related

William G McGovern

STEPHEN HOSMER
I was looking on-line and saw that in the National Archives there is a theatre named the William G McGovern theater and I wanted to know who he was.
I know that the National Archives in DC is a great place to visit and see many different things in its collection and including a very nice Auditorium they have which (being a DC historian) I saw that it is named after William G McGovern and I kind of wanted to know who he was.
I assume the auditorium was built back when the National Archives was built in the late 1920's or early 1930's.  I also assume that it has been renovated a couple of times over the years to make it better.  I guess when it was last renovated someone decided to rename it for William G. McGovern.
I am also guessing before it was named for William G Govern theatre it may have for a while been named for someone or something else, do you know if that could be the case.  If it  had a previous name what was it called before
But my main point to write this e-mail is to ask you who was William G Govern.  Was he someone who worked for the National Archives or someone who donated money which gave the National Archive the ability to renovate the Auditorium.  And when was the Auditorium renamed for William G McGovern.   I assume at that time there was some kind of press release that came out about that.  If so, can you send me the press release? 
Maybe you could send me something on who he was and something about his background.  I am not sure if he is still alive, that is something I would like to know about too.
Anything you might have on William G McGovern I would like to see.
Please do send what you can.
Stephen Hosmer
  • 0

     

    Thank you for posting on History Hub!
    According to a National Archives press release the William G. McGowan Theater "is named in recognition of a generous leadership gift from the William G. McGowan Charitable Fund, Inc., in support of the National Archives Experience. For the entire press release, please see https://www.archives.gov/press/press-releases/2004/nr04-85.html.
    We reached out to the National Archives' Historian, who noted that William G. McGowan is the late founder of MCI Communications, Inc., which he organized as the MCI Communications Corporation in 1968. The theater was named for him in recognition of a donation received from the William G. McGowan Charitable Fund, which was created after his death. Since the theater was brand new in 2004, it has only ever been named after him. 
    If you have any additional questions, you can email our agency's historian at archives.historian@nara.gov.
    Sincerely,
    Archives 1 Reference Branch
    [RR1R-24-34326-TJA]