Albert H. Small Awarded George Washington University's President's Medal

Collector, Philanthropist and Real Estate Developer Recognized for Strengthening Cultural and Educational Opportunities for Americans

WASHINGTON, June 8, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Collector, philanthropist and real estate developer Albert H. Small has received the President's Medal from the George Washington University -- the highest honor the university president can bestow. GW President Steven Knapp presented the award in recognition of Mr. Small's efforts to enhance national identity and to strengthen cultural and educational opportunities for Americans during a ceremony Tuesday at the university.  

Mr. Small was born and raised in Washington, D.C. Following his service in the United States Navy during World War II, he became attracted to collecting. The Smithsonian's National Museum of American History houses the Albert H. Small Documents Gallery, displaying rare and historically significant documents. Mr. Small also donated his comprehensive Declaration of Independence collection to the University of Virginia.

In February, the university announced that Mr. Small would donate his unparalleled collection on the history of Washington, D.C., to GW. Mr. Small's Washingtoniana Collection will be permanently displayed in the 156-year-old Woodhull House and in a to-be-constructed adjacent museum on the George Washington University campus. The museum will include galleries and space for academic and scholarly activity. An additional $5 million gift from Mr. Small will support the renovation of the Woodhull House and construction of the new museum.

Mr. Small serves on numerous civic and cultural boards, including those of the National Symphony Orchestra, the National Gallery of Art, the Foundation for the National Archives, the James Madison Council of the Library of Congress and the National Trust for the Humanities. In recognition of his longstanding support of the humanities, President Barack Obama presented Mr. Small with the 2009 National Humanities Medal.

SOURCE George Washington University