Prepared remarks of Archivist of the United States David S. Ferriero for the conference, βFuture of the South.β Washington, DC
October 5, 2010
Who is the Archivist?
The Archivist of the United States is the head of our agency, appointed by the President of the United States.
What's an Archivist?
Good morning. I am David Ferriero, Archivist of the United States, and I want to welcome all of you to the ΝώΔαΛΉΘΛΣιΐΦ³‘ for todayβs symposium on βThe Future of the South.β
Throughout our nationβs history, βThe Southβ has meant much more than a geographical area. The region has had a strong identity in American history, literature, and popular culture that has endured wartime upheavals, natural disasters, and economic ups and downs. Today we look forward to a lively and insightful discussion of the directions that the Southβs environment and culture may take in the near future.
Several inscriptions appear on the walls and statuary of this building. One, on the pediment of the figure representing βthe Future,β is particularly well known: βWhat is past is prologue.β Another, below the figure of βHeritage,β tells us that βThe Heritage of the Past is the Seed that Brings Forth the Harvest of the Future.β
To make thoughtful and well-informed decisions about future actions, itβs imperative to know how and why we got where we are. We learn from our successes andβespeciallyβfrom our mistakes. And the stories of those past actions are told in documents in archives and libraries across the nation, including the ΝώΔαΛΉΘΛΣιΐΦ³‘ of the United States.
Here you will find records on responses to natural and manmade disasters, photographs of the state of the environment at various periods of time, documentation of technological innovations, court case files that document the arguments and evidence of decisions that affected numbers of Americans, and written and visual records of our culture and heritage, and so much more.
Our mission is to protect and make available the records of the United States and to promote their use. The ΝώΔαΛΉΘΛΣιΐΦ³‘ has a long history of hosting gatherings such as todayβs symposium to encourage further exploration of the records. We want people to use these records and share their discoveries so that our collective knowledge is enriched. Similarly, your discussion today should not be confined by these walls but should continue and grow even after you leave this theater.
Iβd like to thank Oxford American Magazine and its publisher, Warwick Sabin, for their part in organizing this conference. Mr. Sabin is a Marshall Scholar and a Truman Scholar, and he holds an M.A. in Philosophy, Politics and Economics from Oxford University. In 2009 he was named to the FOLIO:40, a list of the 40 most influential people in the national magazine industry. Previously he worked on Capitol Hill, at the White House, at the U.S. Embassy in London, and at Foreign Affairs magazine. Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome Warwick Sabin.
After Mr. Sabin spoke, the Archivist returned to the podium.
Weβre honored today to have as our keynote speaker Governor Robert McDonnell of Virginia.
Governor McDonnell grew up locally, just across the river in Fairfax County. The son of an Air Force lieutenant colonel, he attended the University of Notre Dame on a full Army ROTC scholarship. Upon graduation in 1976 he went on active duty in the U.S. Army until 1981. Altogether, he served 21 years on both active duty and in the reserves, retiring as a lieutenant colonel.
After living in several cities in the Midwest, working his way up the corporate ladder, he returned to Virginia and earned a masterβs degree in public policy and a law degree. He entered public service first as a prosecutor in the Virginia Beach Commonwealthβs Attorneyβs Office and then won election to the Virginia House of Delegates in 1991. Β He was elected Attorney General in 2005, and in 2009 he was elected Governor of Virginia.
He serves as the Commonwealthβs 71st governorβa line stretching back to Patrick Henry in 1776.
Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome Governor Robert McDonnell.