New Byrd Center Archivist Melanie Garvey, center, chats with her mother, Dawn Garvey, and Martinsburg resident Denver Gaydon, at the open house on Saturday. Photo by Tabitha Johnston
SHEPHERDSTOWN — The Robert C. Byrd Center for Congressional History & Education held an open house on Saturday to introduce its new director, archivist and administrative assistant to the public.
Founding director and board of directors executive committee co-chair Ray Smock played a vital role in their selection, along with former director Jim Broomall and his wife, former archivist Tish Wiggs. The couple moved to Virginia at the end of the school year, as Broomall was offered a tenure-track chair holding position in the field of Civil War history with the University of Richmond.
“Those offers are rare. So, naturally, they both left to pursue that job,” Smock said.
Smock noted that former administrative and program assistant Kristen Marino left the Byrd Center in April, for a full-time position with fringe benefits at Shepherd University.
Stepping into the position of Byrd Center director is Zach Dougherty. Dougherty holds a master’s degree in legislative affairs from George Washington University and a bachelor’s degree in history and political science from Monmouth University. He most recently served as a registered lobbyist and community organizer for the League of Women Voters of New Jersey, where he led efforts to advance good government reforms and built statewide coalitions focused on youth political engagement. He hopes to continue with that focus, in his new position, on encouraging youth interest and involvement at the Byrd Center.
Founding Byrd Center director Ray Smock, center, chats with new director Zach Dougherty, right, and new administrative and program assistant Patrick Fuller at the open house on Saturday. Photo by Tabitha Johnston
“We are a nonpartisan space. Our place is not to say, ‘This is right or wrong,’ but to be that guiding light of, ‘This is how the system works. These are the standing rules of both houses. This is what the Constitution informs us of,”” Dougherty said.
“I think Senator Byrd is a really unique character, to be able to talk about the Constitution and talk about something like the appropriations process — just letting people know, this is where the money comes from and this is how money to your state flows. I think people can then make the connections, themselves, when something like nonprofits not getting the funding that they were promised or promises allocated money for certain projects, in states like West Virginia,” Dougherty said. “Everybody is nervous, regardless of party, as to what’s being disrupted.”
Shepherd alumna Melanie Garvey has been selected as the Byrd Center’s new archivist. Garvey, after graduating with her bachelor’s degree in history, earned a master’s degree in history from the University of Massachusetts, Boston. Previously, she served as the archivist and historian for the Clarke County Historical Association in Virginia. She plans to continue teaching history and archives courses as an adjunct professor at Shepherd.
“I never imagined coming back, but it’s really nice to do so. It’s been a nice return, after a long time,” Garvey, who graduated from Shepherd in 2016, said. “My big goal is to get more involved with the student body, to turn the archive into more of a teaching space, whether it be Shepherd students, graduate students or high school students. We have such a great location and setup, and we already have amazing student interactions. I’d love to see it grow.”
She is not the only Shepherd graduate to be hired into one of the open positions. Shepherd alumnus Patrick Fuller interned at the Byrd Center in 2020, before completing his bachelor’s degree in history. He has since had positions and internships with Jefferson County Historic Landmarks Commission, the National Park Service’s Interpretive Design Center and the National Park Service’s Museum Management Program.
“We have been given a really solid foundation — Ray has done an immense amount of work to help with this transition. He has been at the Byrd Center since the beginning, and filled in when previous directors have left. We’re all very glad to have Ray involved, so we can rely on him for institutional knowledge,” Fuller said. “We look forward to doing a lot more outreach and trying to do new things here. And, as has been done so successfully throughout the Byrd Center’s history, we plan to continue bringing in amazing speakers to speak here.”
