[Congressional Record Volume 168, Number 25 (Tuesday, February 8, 2022)]
[Senate]
[Page S568]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
TRIBUTE TO DAVID FERRIERO
Mr. LEAHY. Mr. President, it is appropriate to take a moment here in
the Senate to recognize David Ferriero, the 10th Archivist of the
United States. Mr. Ferriero has held the top position at the National
Archives since 2009, overseeing the maintenance and preservation of
critical documents like the Constitution and the Declaration of
Independence, along with 10 million maps, 13 million pages of text, and
tens of millions of photographs. On January 13, 2022, Mr. Ferriero
announced his intention to retire in April.
Prior to his nomination and confirmation to be Archivist of the
United States, David Ferriero spent decades as a librarian and library
administrator for some of the largest research institutions and public
library networks. After service in the U.S. Navy during the Vietnam
war, Mr. Ferriero worked as a librarian at the Massachusetts Institute
of Technology for over three decades. In 1996, he moved to North
Carolina, where he served as the vice provost for library affairs at
Duke University, where he helped to develop the Triangle Research
Library Network to facilitate greater access to research materials and
collaboration across universities. Later, Mr. Ferriero was appointed
the Andrew W. Mellon director and chief executive of the research
libraries of the New York Public Library system.
David Ferriero was nominated by President Obama and confirmed to be
Archivist of the United States by the Senate in November 2009.
Throughout his tenure as the leader of the National Archives, Mr.
Ferriero made it his goal to bring the Archives and its vast range of
historical records into the 21st century. He focused on digitizing the
Archives' materials and improving availability of these materials
online so that more Americans could access and benefit from these
primary source records. Under his leadership, the National Archives
also embraced social media and worked hard to bring more Americans into
the creation, organization, and maintenance of our Nation's history and
records.
The documents and records maintained by the National Archives reflect
the foundation and continuing story of our democracy and our Nation.
They outline and define the evolution of the United States, documented
throughout the pages of history, and preserved at the Archives as
original source material. At this critical juncture in our endless
march toward a more perfect union, our history becomes even more
instructive.
Mr. Ferriero's commitment to making our Nation's archives more open
and more available to all of us is to be commended and will be a
hallmark of his tenure as the Archivist of the United States. I wish
Mr. Ferriero and his wife, Gail, all the best in the next chapter of
their lives.
I ask unanimous consent that a profile of Mr. Ferriero, appearing in
The Washington Post on January 13, 2022, be printed in the Record.
There being no objection, the material was ordered to be printed in
the Record, as follows:
[From the Washington Post, Jan. 13, 2022]
David S. Ferriero, Archivist of the United States, Is Retiring
(By Michael E. Ruane)
David S. Ferriero, who has been the archivist of the United
States for more than a decade under three presidents, is
planning to retire in April.
Ferriero, 76, has been head of the National Archives and
Records Administration since he was appointed by President
Barack Obama and confirmed by the Senate in 2009.
``It has been the honor of a lifetime,'' Ferriero wrote in
a note to his staff Wednesday. ``My time here has been filled
with opportunities, challenges, and awesome responsibilities.
. . . I am humbled and awestruck and so deeply grateful--
grateful to all of you.''
In addition to housing national treasures such as the
Declaration of Independence, the Constitution and the Bill of
Rights, the National Archives holds 13 billion pages of text,
10 million maps, charts and drawings, as well as tens of
millions of photographs, films and other records.
The archives is also responsible for the nation's 13 brick-
and-mortar presidential libraries.
Before coming to the agency, Ferriero was director of the
New York Public Libraries and served in top positions at the
libraries of the Massachusetts Institution of Technology and
Duke University. A native of Beverly, Mass., he served as a
Navy hospital corpsman during the Vietnam War.
A self-described introvert, he is reserved and has a dry
sense of humor. On his watch in 2014, the National Archives
held its first sleepover.
He has pushed the digitization of the archives, and he
embraced social media. In November, he noted in a blog post,
``We know that not everyone can come to our facilities [for
research] and providing these records online democratizes
access.''
He has also promoted the role of ``citizen archivists'' who
volunteer to transcribe and review historic documents online.
``I have met or known half of all Archivists of the United
States . . . and none has done better'' than Ferriero,
historian Michael Beschloss tweeted.
One of the items framed in Ferriero's office is a copy of a
letter he wrote to President John F. Kennedy when he was in
high school. The letter had been found at the Kennedy
Presidential Library in Boston.
The future archivist asked about the Peace Corps and
requested a photo of JFK.
Later, the Dwight D. Eisenhower Presidential Library found
two letters Ferriero had written to President Eisenhower as a
youngster, and the Lyndon B. Johnson Presidential Library
found one he had written to President Johnson. Ferriero had
them framed in his office, too.
In 2020, the National Archives faced criticism when it
posted in its headquarters building an exhibit with a picture
that had been altered to blur out words suggesting criticism
of President Donald Trump.
The large color photograph, designed to celebrate the
centennial of women's suffrage, showed a massive protest
crowd on Pennsylvania Avenue during the Women's March on Jan.
21, 2017, the day after Trump's inauguration. The original
photo had been altered to obscure some words on signs held by
marchers.
A placard that proclaimed ``God Hates Trump'' had ``Trump''
blotted out so that it read ``God Hates.'' A sign that read
``Trump & GOP--Hands Off Women'' had the word ``Trump''
blurred out.
Less than 24 hours after Washington Post reporter Joe Heim
pointed out the alterations, the National Archives
apologized.
``We made a mistake,'' it said in a statement. ``As the
National Archives of the United States, we are and have
always been completely committed to preserving our archival
holdings, without alteration.
``We were wrong to alter the image,'' it said. ``We
apologize, and will immediately start a thorough review of
our exhibit policies and procedures so that this does not
happen again.''
The altered picture was removed and replaced with an
unaltered one.
``Our credibility, so important to our mission,
understandably has been questioned.'' Ferriero wrote on his
blog. ``I take full responsibility for this decision and the
broader concerns it has raised . . . [and] pledge to restore
public confidence in this great institution.''
The National Archives is headquartered in a massive 84-
year-old granite and limestone landmark on Pennsylvania
Avenue in Washington's Federal Triangle. A ``temple to
American history.'' Ferriero called it.
The agency also has a large, more modern complex in College
Park, Md.
Deputy Archivist Debra Steidel Wall will serve as acting
archivist until the president nominates and the Senate
confirms a successor.
``It is not easy to leave you with our important work
continuing, especially initiatives to foster equity and
enhance the employee and customer experiences,'' Ferriero
told his staff. ``However, our profession is one of
stewardship, where despite our enduring responsibilities, we
are here for what amounts to a brief period of time.
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