The Robert C. Byrd Center for Congressional History and Education is announcing six new sites in early 2017 for its traveling exhibit, “Robert C. Byrd: Senator, Statesman, West Virginian.”
“This new year is the 100th anniversary of Sen. Byrd’s birth and the best time ever to reflect on the incredible career of one of West Virginia’s greatest citizens. We want our traveling exhibit to be a catalyst to encourage all West Virginians to find ways to reflect on and learn about what Sen. Byrd meant, and still means, to West Virginia and the nation,” said Dr. Ray Smock, director of the Byrd Center, and former historian of the U.S. House of Representatives. “We are delighted that our information-rich mobile exhibit will bring together people of all ages in Wheeling, Fairmont, Elkins, Williamson, Huntington, and Bridgeport during the opening five months of 2017.”
The schedule includes the following sites:
– Jan 23 – Feb. 17: Pierpont Community & Technical College, Fairmont
– Jan. 24 – Feb. 16:
Wheeling Jesuit University, Wheeling
– Feb. 17 – March 17: Randolph County Community Arts Center, Elkins
– March 6 – April 9: First National Bank of Williamson, Williamson
– April 10 – May 15: Marshall University, Huntington
– April 11 – May 15: United Hospital Center, Bridgeport
The exhibit tells the story of Sen. Byrd’s origins in the coal fields, his service to the state and the nation, and his lasting legacy as the West Virginian of the 20th Century. The Centennial of Senator Byrd’s birth is Nov. 20, 2017, and the traveling exhibit will be at the Culture Center in Charleston, where a grand celebration is being planned.
To date, the exhibit has been hosted in Shepherdstown, Parkersburg, Beckley, Bluefield, Lewisburg and Morgantown. The tour of the Robert C. Byrd exhibit is funded, in part, by a major grant from the West Virginia Humanities Council. FirstEnergy, PiperJaffray, Comcast and McGinn and Company have also made contributions to facilitate the exhibit.
The mission of the Robert C. Byrd Center is to advance representative democracy by promoting a better understanding of the United States Congress and the Constitution through programs and research that engage citizens in the history of Congress. The Center is the home of the Robert C. Byrd Archive containing the papers and records of the Senator’s long career.
