Rene A. Henry papers

Access and use

Location of collection:
College of William and Mary
Special Collections Research Center
Earl Gregg Swem Library
College of William and Mary
400 Landrum Drive
PO 8795
Williamsburg, VA 23187-8795
Contact for questions and access:
Phone: (757) 221-3090
Fax: (757) 221-5440
Restrictions:

Collection is open to all researchers. Manuscript collections and archival records may contain materials with sensitive or confidential information that is protected under federal or state right to privacy laws and regulations, such as the Virginia Public Records Act (Code of Virginia. § 42.1-76-91); and the Virginia Freedom of Information Act (Code of Virginia § 2.2-3705.5). Confidential material may include, but is not limited to, educational, medical, and personnel records. If sensitive material is found in this collection, please contact a staff member immediately. The disclosure of personally identifiable information pertaining to a living individual may have legal consequences for which the College of William and Mary assumes no responsibility.

Terms of access:

Before reproducing or quoting from any materials, in whole or in part, permission must be obtained from the Special Collections Research Center, and the holder of the copyright, if not Swem Library.

Preferred citation:

Rene Henry Papers, Special Collections Research Center, William & Mary Libraries.

Summary

Extent:
8.04 Linear Feet
Creator:
Henry, Rene A., 1933-
Language:
English
Preferred citation:

Rene Henry Papers, Special Collections Research Center, William & Mary Libraries.

Background

Scope and content:

The collection includes the personal and professional papers of Rene A. Henry including a number of photographs, correspondence, scrapbooks, press releases, and publications that pertain to his life and career in sports marketing, public relations, housing, construction, television, entertainment, association management, and government service. The collection also holds materials from the 1988 presidential campaign of George H. W. Bush and Dan Quayle.

Biographical / historical:

Rene Henry was born in Charleston, West Virginia in 1933 and his family moved to the Norfolk and Virginia Beach area in 1948. He graduated from Granby High School in Norfolk in 1951 and received an A.B. in economics from the College of William and Mary in 1954. During his time at William and Mary, Henry served as a student assistant in sports information and also student assistant to the director of intramural athletics. In January 1953, while in his junior year, he was named the Sports Information Director for William and Mary.

He was Sports Information Director at West Virginia University (1954-1956) and did graduate work in marketing. He also completed executive management courses at the law schools of Harvard and Georgetown universities.

Rene Henry's professional career includes work in public relations, sports marketing, housing and construction, presidential campaigns, higher education, television and entertainment, association management, and government service. As a volunteer, he directed the international media campaign for the selection of Los Angeles as the host city of the 1984 Olympic Games, and has been active in the promotion and organization of a number of United States Olympic activities since 1968. He has been involved in the management, marketing, and sales of world cup and world championship events in sports including basketball, cycling, hockey, soccer, and tennis. Henry has also worked at various levels of the building and housing industry, developing and promoting a number of commercial, industrial, and federal projects. From 1968 to1977, he was Executive Director of the Council of Housing Producers, an organization of the largest community developers in the country. Between 1986 and 1988, he served as President and CEO of the National Institute of Building Sciences. In 1988, he volunteered on the presidential campaign to elect George H. W. Bush and Dan Quayle. From there, Henry was appointed to positions at the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the Agency for International Development, the Department of Labor in 1991, and the Environmental Protection Agency from 1996 to 2001.

Henry has been a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences and the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences since 1978. In 1994, he was elected to the College of Fellows of the Public Relations Society of America and served as Chair of the College in 2001. He is also a member of the Institute of Residential Marketing and former Trustee of the National Sales and Marketing Council of the National Association of Home Builders.

Acquisition information:
Acc. 2008.92 received from Rene Henry week of 8/2/2008, 8/6/2008, 8/13/2008, 8/20/2008, and 9/18/2008; Acc. 2008.123 received from Rene Henry on 11/4/2008; Acc. 2008.133 received from Rene Henry on 12/2/08; Acc. 2009.258 received from Rene Henry on 6/18/2009. Acquisition information for material received after 7/13/2009 is available by consulting a Special Collections Research Center staff member. Addition added in October, 2022.
Processing information:

Processing and finding aid completed by Kate Hill, SCRC Staff, in October 2008. Acc. 2009.258 accessioned and minimally described by Amy C. Schindler, University Archivist in November and December 2008, June and December 2009. Acc. 2009.575, Acc. 2009.592 accessioned and minimally described by Steven Bookman, University Archives Specialist, in December 2009. Acc. 2010.193 accessioned and minimally described 3/26/2010.

Acc. 2010.207 accessioned and minimally described by Amy C. Schindler, University Archivist, 4/5/2010. Acc. 2010.212 accessioned and minimally described by Steven Bookman, University Archives Specialist, 4/2010.

Acc. 2010.315 accessioned and minimally described by Steven Bookman, University Archives Specialist, 5/2010.

Arrangement:

The collection is organized into the following series and sub-series: Series 1: Biographical Materials, 1949-2008; Series 2: Career, 1960-2008 including Sub-series 2.1: Sports Marketing, 1960-1995; Sub-series 2.2: Public Relations, 1970, 1989; Sub-series 2.3: Building and Housing, 1960-1999; and Sub-series 2.4: Miscellaneous Career, 1989-2008. Series 3 and series 4 is currently reserved for new accessions not yet arranged and described. Poster, artifacts and audiovisual materials are not yet reflected in the Finding Aid.

Accruals:

Future accruals are expected.

Rules or conventions:
Describing Archives: A Content Standard