S.C. Gov. McMaster will receive national recognition for work in state archives
Governor named Advocacy for Archives Award recipient by Council of State Archivists
COLUMBIA – The Council of State Archivists, a national association representing the heads of the country’s 56 state and territorial archives, will present Gov. Henry McMaster of South Carolina with its Advocacy for Archives Award. The award, which recognizes “substantial and sustained contribution to promoting … the accessibility of government archives,” will be made at the council’s annual meeting in Columbia at the Department of Archives and History on Wednesday, Sept. 23. The ceremony will begin at 1 p.m.
Chosen from nominations submitted by the council’s membership, the award represents an important form of recognition and respect. As governor, lieutenant governor and state attorney general, McMaster has demonstrated his deep love of history and voiced his support for SCDAH.
“He championed the department's special appropriation to cover conservation of the state’s seven constitutions and encouraged the agency to use one of the state’s aircrafts to deliver and return the documents from the conservation facility in Massachusetts,” reads his award nomination packet. McMaster was also active in choosing historical documents and images for display in his office with SCDAH staff, and he regularly attends the agency’s historic preservation awards ceremony.
Dr. W. Eric Emerson, SCDAH director, state historic preservation officer and state archivist, said, “As governor, [McMaster] has always believed that collecting and preserving the state’s archival records was an important function of government.” Emerson noted McMaster’s support for digital initiatives, conservation and agency growth. He concluded, “I can think of no greater advocate for archives in this state.”
South Carolina Department of Archives and History is governed by the S.C. Commission of Archives and History. Its mission is to preserve and promote the documentary and cultural heritage of the Palmetto State. The department houses one of the most comprehensive state archival collections in the nation, spanning more than 350 years of South Carolina history.
The Council’s Awards Program was expanded in 2013 to highlight outstanding people and projects in the nation’s state archives. Awards are presented at CoSA’s annual meeting each summer. CoSA is deeply committed to the positive impact state and territory archives make toward documenting government, preserving history and securing rights. CoSA’s efforts to advance and promote this impact are critical elements of its work.