Series II. Correspondence and Subject Files, 1944-2004 .

Containers:

Box 10-34

Extent:

Extent: 25 boxes.

Scope and content:

The correspondence contains letters written by readers of McDowell's column, and those who viewed his appearances on the PBS program "Washington Week in Review" and other programs. The correspondence includes reactions, both for and against, to McDowell's writings and viewpoints. There are also congratulatory letters relating to the many awards he received and upon his retirement in 1998, as well as invitations to make appearances and speeches, ideas for future columns, and resumes from prospective journalists. There is also correspondence between McDowell and literary agents and magazine editors.

The subject files contain a wide variety of materials relating to McDowell's nearly 40 years as a journalist and author. There are manuscript drafts and free-lance articles for various publications, reviews, publicity, and correspondence relating to books he wrote, including "One Thing After Another" (1960), "What Did You Have in Mind?" (1963), and "Campaign Fever" (1965). There is background information for his articles, columns, and speeches, especially on the subjects of Congress, television and political conventions, elections, inaugurations, and campaign finance reform.

McDowell did voice-overs for the Ken Burns productions, "The Civil War" (1990) and "Baseball" (1994), and the collection contains articles and reviews, notes, correspondence, clippings, and screening and final scripts. He also was a host on the program "For the Record," which aired on Central Virginia Public Television, which was devoted to public policy, politics, and history. The collection includes drafts of questions McDowell posed to his guests, working files, and background biographical information. Videotapes of some of the programs are also included in the collection. McDowell also a narrated the 1983 program on Watergate called, "Summer of Judgment: The Watergate Hearings," which was a production of WETA in Washington, DC. There are reviews, viewer mail, and a transcript of the program.

The subject files also include biographical information, copies of his daily news articles and special feature stories for the Richmond Times-Dispatch, get well cards, Gridiron Club dinner programs, speeches, scripts, clippings, and membership lists, information on the visit of Nikita Khrushchev to the United States in 1959, photographs, programs, speech notes and drafts, as well as information relating to his work with Paul Duke (1926-2005), and with the Virginia congressional campaign of Andrew McCutcheon.

Arrangement:

Alphabetical.

Access and use

Contents