Home > Research > Finding aids > Records of the Virginia Environmental Endowment, part of The Robert R. Merhige, Jr., Environmental History Archive

A Guide to the Records, 1977–2011, of the Virginia Environmental Endowment, part of The Robert R. Merhige, Jr., Environmental History Archive

Collection Number Mss3 V81951 a FA2
A Collection in the Virginia Historical Society

Contact Information:
Virginia Historical Society
P.O. Box 7311
Richmond, Virginia 23221-0311
USA
Phone: (804) 342-9677
Fax: (804) 355-2399
Email: reference@vahistorical.org
URL: http://www.vahistorical.org

Processed by: L. Paige Newman. The processing of this collection, including production of the oral histories, was made possible through financial support from the Virginia Environmental Endowment.
c 2012 By Virginia Historical Society. All rights reserved

Introduction to the guide by Gerald P. McCarthy, Executive Director of the Virginia Environmental Endowment
[PDF - 2.44 mb - link opens new window]

ADMINISTRATIVE INFORMATION

Access
Collection is open for research.

Use Restrictions
There are no restrictions.

Preferred Citation
Records, 1977–2011, of the Virginia Environmental Endowment, part of The Robert R. Merhige, Jr., Environmental History Archive (Mss3 V81951 a FA2), Virginia Historical Society, Richmond, Va., USA.

Acquisition Information
Gift of the Virginia Environmental Endowment through the courtesy of Gerald P. McCarthy, Richmond, Va., in 2009. Accessioned 2 November 2011.

Descriptive Summary

Repository: Virginia Historical Society.

Collection number: Mss3 V81951 a FA2

Title: Records, 1977–2011, of the Virginia Environmental Endowment

Size: 91 linear feet

Language: English

Abstract: Administrative and financial materials, records of grants awarded, publications, and oral histories with Virginia Environmental Endowment officials and other interested persons.

Scope and Content Information

Organization

This collection is organized into six series as follows: Series 1. Governance materials; Series 2. Financial materials; Series 3. Executive Director's records; Series 4. Grants; Series 5. Public outreach; and Series 6. Oral histories.

Biographical/Historical Information

The Virginia Environmental Endowment (VEE) was established in 1977 as a nongovernmental, nonprofit corporation designed to improve the quality of Virginia's environment. Initial funding came from a voluntary contribution by Allied Chemical Corporation (now Honeywell) as partial settlement of the Kepone federal pollution litigation. Subsequent federal court settlements have added to the endowment's funds and have allowed its grant-making to extend to West Virginia, Kentucky, and Ohio.

The VEE currently has three grant-making programs: the Virginia Program, the Virginia Mini-Grant Program, and the Kanawha and Ohio River Valleys Program. A fourth program, the Martins Ferry-Ohio River Program, is no longer active. The VEE makes grants to nonprofit, tax-exempt, charitable organizations and to governmental agencies. The Virginia Program supports community action, reinforced and informed by research and education. The Virginia Mini-Grant Program supports community-based efforts to strengthen environmental education and to promote stewardship of Virginia's waterways. The Kanawha and Ohio River Valleys Program supports research, education, and community action on water quality and the effects of water pollution on public health and the environment. The Martins Ferry-Ohio River Program supported water quality and aquatic education within a 100-mile area near Martins Ferry, Ohio. Gerald P. McCarthy became executive director in 1977 when the endowment was established and has remained its head through the VEE's history.

Index Terms

Conservation of natural resources -- Virginia -- History.
Environmental education -- Virginia -- History.
Environmental management -- Virginia -- History.
Environmental policy -- Virginia.
Environmental protection -- Virginia.
Environmentalism -- Virginia -- History.
McCarthy, Gerald P., 1943-
Nature conservation -- Virginia -- History.
Oral history.
Virginia Environmental Endowment -- History.
Virginia Environmental Endowment -- Records and correspondence.
Water conservation -- Virginia -- History.

Guide

Series 1. Governance materials, 1977-2009.

The records of the Virginia Environmental Endowment (VEE) begin with a series concerning the creation and governance of the organization. These materials trace the establishment of the VEE as a nongovernmental, nonprofit corporation in 1977 designed to improve the quality of Virginia's environment. Initial funding came from a voluntary contribution by Allied Chemical Corporation (now Honeywell) as partial settlement of the Kepone federal pollution litigation. Subsequent federal court settlements have added to the endowment's funds and have allowed its grant-making to extend to West Virginia, Kentucky, and Ohio. The series consists chiefly of minutes of the board of directors, the original slate of which was appointed by federal judge Robert R. Merhige, Jr. The board appoints two standing committees. The Operations Committee oversees the general workings of the foundation, sets personnel policies, and recommends a slate of officers for the corporation. The Investment Committee selects, supervises, and reviews the VEE's investment managers and recommends annually a grants budget and an operations budget to the board.

Series 1.1. Series 1.1. Corporate records, 1977-2009.

Series 1.1 presents some of the foundational documents that have shaped the VEE and its history.

Box 1

Series 1.2. Board of Directors minutes, etc., 1977-1999.

Series 1.2 includes meeting minutes of the board and its committees, arranged in chronological order. These minutes are primarily found in folders with materials distributed in advance of the next meeting in course, such as agendas, board correspondence, pre-meeting materials, grant proposal summaries, grant recommendations, articles, newsletters, and newspaper clippings.

Box 2

Box 3

Series 1.3. Annual Reports, 1977-2010.

Annual reports issued by the VEE to document its activities, such as grants awarded in a given year and the handling of financial resources committed to it.

Box 4

Series 2. Financial materials, 1977-2007.

In February 1977, in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia, Allied Chemical Corporation was fined $13.2 million for polluting the James River with the insecticide Kepone. With the approval of Judge Robert R. Merhige, Jr., a portion of this fine--$8 million--was paid by Allied into a fund to create the Virginia Environmental Endowment for the purpose of improving the quality of Virginia's environment. Between 1981 and 1991, VEE received another $1.4 million in court settlements paid by the FMC Corporation, Bethlehem Steel Corporation, Wheeling Pittsburgh Steel Corporation, IR International, Inc., and Hauni Richmond, Inc. The FMC funds expanded the Endowment's work in Virginia and beyond into the Kanawha River and Ohio River Valleys. In the late 1980s, the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) and the Chesapeake Bay Foundation sued Bethlehem Steel. The Bethlehem Steel case was settled for a total of $1.5 million dollars; the court ordered Bethlehem Steel to send the VEE approximately $193,000 to expand its work in the Chesapeake Bay region.

Series 2.1. Financial records, 1977-2005.

Series 2.1 consists of financial statements, FMC financial statements, balance sheets, stock receipts, bank statements, investment statements, and correspondence.

Box 5

Box 6

Box 7

Box 8

Box 9

Box 10

Series 2.2. Audit Reports, 1977-2007.

Series 2.2 includes audit reports prepared by independent firms.

Series 3. Executive Director's records, 1977-2010.

Gerald P. McCarthy became executive director of the VEE in 1977 when the endowment was established and has remained its head throughout the VEE's history. Files collected here reflect upon aspects of the executive director's work at the endowment, but they also include his involvement in the broader environmental arena as a member of related agencies and organizations to which he has been appointed because of his VEE position.

Series 3.1. Correspondence, 1977-1987.

Series 3.1 consists of correspondence of the executive director with various state and city officials, grantees, and board members. The correspondence follows closely the original organization and history of the VEE, alphabetically by year. Topics of correspondence mainly concern requests for information about the endowment and its grant programs. Series 3.2 consists of correspondence, notes, and support materials relating to McCarthy's involvement with the Citizens Advisory Committee to the Chesapeake Executive Council and the Virginia Environmental Education Advisory Committee. Series 3.3 and 3.4 consist of media coverage. Series 3.5 contains materials regarding McCarthy's participation in various environmental conferences, meetings and workshops. Series 3.6 includes remarks and speeches made by the executive director as VEE's representative or otherwise by invitation.

Series 3.2. Committees, 1885-2008.

Citizens Advisory Committee to the Chesapeake Executive Council

VEE Executive Director Gerald P. McCarthy served on the Citizens Advisory Committee to the Chesapeake Executive Council and was its chair from 1988 to 1989. As a member of the Citizens Advisory Committee, he also participated on the Population Growth and Development Task Force, a legislative study commission established by the Virginia General Assembly to promote growth management legislation, a topic VEE had previously funded. The commission monitored state activities related to the implementation of findings in the Report of the 2020 Panel, a panel assembled by the Chesapeake Bay Commission in 1987 to evaluate the impact of future growth in the Chesapeake Bay Region. The purpose of this committee is to provide advice and guidance to state and local governments about citizens' perspectives on the Chesapeake Bay Cleanup Effort. The Chesapeake Executive Council was established by the Chesapeake Bay Agreement of 1983 to coordinate the work of restoring and protecting the Chesapeake Bay. In accordance with the 1987 Chesapeake Bay Agreement, the council is the governing body for these efforts. Parties to the 1987 Agreement are the State of Maryland; the Commonwealths of Pennsylvania and Virginia; the District of Columbia; the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, representing the federal government; and the Chesapeake Bay Commission.

Box 11

Box 12

Committee Support Materials: Chesapeake Bay Foundation

Committee Support Materials: Chesapeake Executive Council

Chesapeake Executive Council - Implementation Committee

Chesapeake Executive Council - Scientific and Technical Advisory Committee

Year 2020 Panel

Related Support Materials

Virginia Environmental Education Advisory Committee

Director McCarthy served as a member of the Virginia Environmental Education Advisory Committee (VEEC) from 2001 to 2002. The VEEC advised Virginia's governor on all matters related to environmental education in Virginia and identified and assessed the needs and priorities for environmental education.

Box 13

Support Materials: Virginia Environmental Education Materials

Support Materials: Environmental Education Materials from outside Virginia

Support Materials: National Environmental Education Materials

Series 3.3. Media coverage, 1978-2010, written by Executive Director Gerald P. McCarthy.

Series 3.4. Media coverage, n.d., and 1977-2010, about the VEE and/or Executive Director Gerald P. McCarthy.

Series 3.5. Environmental conferences, meetings and workshops, 1979-2008.

Series 3.6. Speeches, 1978-2011.

These materials consist of remarks and speeches made by Gerald P. McCarthy as VEE's representative or otherwise by invitation. Topics include, in part, the role of the VEE, conflict resolution, land use, pollution, and toxic substances. Speeches of interest include 10 April 1980 on the subject of toxic substances and their effects on the environment; 6 January 1999 remarks on Virginia's environmental conflicts; and 18 October 2001 on perspective and prospects for the environment in the twenty-first century.

Series 4. Grants, 1977 to present.

The VEE has four grant-making programs: the Virginia Program, the Virginia Mini-Grant Program, the Kanawha and Ohio River Valleys Program, and the Martins Ferry-Ohio River Program. The VEE makes grants to nonprofit, tax-exempt, charitable organizations and to governmental agencies. Grant funds are not provided for general support, overhead, indirect costs, capital projects, land purchases, building construction or renovation, endowments, lawsuits, or to individuals. Also, matching funds in equal amounts from other sources are required, and challenge grants may be offered to provide leverage in fundraising. Series 4.1 through Series 4.4 consist of correspondence, project proposals, and support materials, such as audio and visual materials, for project activities.

Series 4.1. Virginia Program Grants, 1977 to present.

The Virginia Program supports community action, reinforced and informed by research and education. Grant-making priorities in the Virginia Program are focused on water quality research and monitoring of water quality conditions; land and open space conservation; Chesapeake Bay conservation, research, and education; and environmental education. Grant numbers listed as active grants will not have paper work.

Box 14

Box 15

Box 16

Box 17

Box 18

Box 19

Box 20

Box 21

Box 22

Box 23

Box 24

Box 25

Box 26

Box 27

Box 28

Box 29

Box 30

Box 31

Box 32

Box 33

Box 34

Box 35

Box 36

Box 37

Box 38

Box 39

Box 40

Box 41

Box 42

Box 43

Box 44

Box 45

Box 46

Box 47

Box 48

Box 49

Box 50

Box 51

Box 52

Box 53

Box 54

Box 55

Box 56

Box 57

Box 58

Box 59

Box 60

Box 61

Box 62

Box 63

Box 64

Box 65

Box 66

Box 67

Box 68

Box 69

Series 4.2. Virginia Program Mini-Grants, 1989 to present.

The Virginia Mini-Grant Program supports community-based efforts to strengthen environmental education and to promote stewardship of Virginia's waterways. Preference is given to modest local projects. Public and private schools (K-12) and nongovernmental, nonprofit community organizations in Virginia are eligible to apply for one-year Mini-Grant awards up to $5,000. Local, state, and federal government agencies and programs are not eligible. Grants listed as active grants will not have paperwork.

Box 70

Box 71

Box 72

Box 73

Box 74

Box 75

Box 76

Box 77

Series 4.3. Kanawha and Ohio River Valleys Program Grants, 1981 to present.

These grants are limited to the Kanawha and Ohio River Valleys of Kentucky and West Virginia; this program supports research, education, and community action on water quality and the effects of water pollution on public health and the environment. Emphasis is given to collaboration by citizens, government, and industry to develop effective public policies and to increase public participation in water quality monitoring and watershed management. Grants listed as active will not have paperwork.

Box 78

Box 79

Box 80

Box 81

Box 82

Box 83

Box 84

Box 85

Box 86

Series 4.4. Martins Ferry-Ohio River Program Grants, 1991 to 1998

Martins Ferry, Ohio, is a small Appalachian community located across the Ohio River from Wheeling, West Virginia, and sixty miles downstream from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. In 1990, the VEE received $200,000 from a federal fine of the Wheeling-Pittsburgh Steel Corporation. The fund was used for water quality and aquatic education within a 100-mile area near Martins Ferry.

Series 5. Public outreach

Environmental literacy being one of the main missions of the VEE, funding of various public outreach opportunities has allowed the VEE to become an environmental voice for Virginians. Series 5.1 includes polls commissioned by the VEE to survey Virginians' attitudes about the environment. Series 5.2 consists of publications either funded by the VEE or including information relevant to the VEE and Virginia's environmental history. VEE partially funded the Virginia Journal of Natural Resources Law, now known as the Virginia Environmental Law Journal, from summer 1980 to spring 1996. And Series 5.3 consists of audiovisual materials, not VEE funded, concerning Virginia's environment.

Series 5.1. Polls

In 1992, the VEE partnered with The Nature Conservancy (see Virginia Program Grant #92-013) and funded a poll to see how much support there was in Virginia for a Parks and Recreation Bond issue. In 1995, the VEE commissioned Dick Morris and, in 1997, Peter D. Hart Research and Public Opinion Strategies to survey Virginian's attitudes about the environment.

Series 5.2. Publications.

Box 87

Virginia Journal of Natural Resources Law

*title changed to Virginia Environmental Law Journal

Box 88

Series 5.3. Audiovisual materials.

Videotapes, Chronological

Videotapes, Undated

Series 6. Oral histories.

The collection includes twenty interview sessions with people involved with the Virginia Environmental Endowment. The project was undertaken by Reynolds Business History Archivist Mary Virginia Currie, Assistant Archivist for Business Collections Laura E. G. Stoner, Assistant Archivist L. Paige Newman, and Vice President for Collections and Sallie and William B. Thalhimer III Senior Archivist E. Lee Shepard. Interviews are transcribed and are available upon request in CD and written formats. * Denotes oral interviews also available on audiocassette.

Boxes 89-91

Container list

428 North Boulevard, Richmond, VA 23220    |    Mail: P.O. Box 7311, Richmond, VA 23221-0311    |    Phone: 804.358.4901
Hours   |    Directions   |    Contact us   |    Site map   |    Blog    |    Share