Name/Title
Mills E. Godwin, Jr. Receives Patrick Henry Award From PHMF President Carolyn Lusardi at 50th Anniversary DinnerEntry/Object ID
2021.6.38Description
Color photograph. Rectangular. Shot landscape orientation. It shows former Virginia Governor Mills E. Godwin Jr. receiving the Patrick Henry Award from PHMF President Carolyn M. Lusardi, who wears a pink dress and holds the Patrick Henry Award, a brown statuette. Godwin Jr. stands closest to the microphone, wearing a black bow tie and a white handkerchief in his left pocket.
On the reverse, "5427" is written in blue ink in the bottom right corner. There are also two small labels attached to the reverse. The top label has "NOV NEWSLETTER" written in all caps in pencil, likely indicating that this image was used for the November 1994 Red Hill newsletter. The top label on the reverse is a bit faded. The bottom label identifies all the photo's participants in left to right order, skipping Godwin Jr. and Lusardi, as they are already identified.Inscription/Signature/Marks
Type
LabelLocation
Reverse, centerTranscription
[top label]
Patrick Henry
National Memorial
Red Hill
Brookneal, VA 24528
[bottom label]
Gov. Godwin receives Patrick
Henry from PHMF Pres. Carolyn
M. Lusardi (l-r) Gov. Allen,
Jim Elson, Mrs. Allen and Mr.
and Mrs. Walker look on.Language
EnglishMaterial/Technique
LabelProvenance
Notes
The PHMF Golden Anniversary Celebration was held on Thursday, October 27, 1994, to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Foundation's establishment. The PHMF was incorporated on October 27, 1944. The event was held at the Jefferson Hotel in Richmond, Virginia.
Mills E. Godwin Jr. (1914–1999) received the Patrick Henry Award that evening. He served as Governor of Virginia for two non-consecutive terms, from 1966 to 1970 and 1974 to 1978. The PHMF awarded Godwin Jr. the Patrick Henry Award for "distinguished service to the Commonwealth of Virginia." Carolyn Lusardi (1919–2009) was the current President of PHMF at the time of the event. She gave a "Recognition of Distinguished Guests" and shared "Remembrances of Fifty Years" that evening.
Governor George Allen (1952–) delivered a message at the dinner. He served as the 67th governor of Virginia from 1994 to 1998 and as a United States senator from Virginia from 2001 to 2007. Susan Allen was his wife.
James M. Elson (1932–2021) was the Executive Vice President of the PHMF at the time of the event. Irvin D. Walker was a former PHMF president and gave the benediction to end the evening's program. Geraldine "Gerry" Walker (1923–2008) was his wife.
Staff found this photograph in the existing files of Red Hill's collection and accessioned it on May 30, 2024, due to its importance to PHMF's institutional history.