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THE WHITE HOUSE

Office of the Press Secretary

For Immediate Release July 18, 1995

           PRESIDENT CLINTON NAMES WILLIAM F. MCSWEENY TO THE 
        BOARD OF TRUSTEES OF THE JOHN F. KENNEDY CENTER FOR THE 
                            PERFORMING ARTS

     The President today announced his intent to appoint William F.

McSweeny to the Board of Trustees of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.

William F. McSweeny of Washington, D.C. is a former President and Member of the Board of Directors of Occidental International Corporation. He entered government as a Special Assistant to the Chief of Staff in the Johnson Administration. He subsequently served as Special Assistant to Postmaster General Marvin Watson in 1968 and 1969. Mr. McSweeny acted as Special Counsel to the Speaker of the House of Representatives from 1971-1972. He served as a President's Representative to the U.S.S.R. in 1979 under the Carter Administration. Mr. McSweeny was also a Presidential Special Representative to Oman in 1980, and to Bolivia in 1982. From 1943 to 1967, Mr. McSweeny was a journalist for Hearst Newspapers, winning 17 major prizes as a foreign correspondent. He is the author of several books including The Impossible Dream (1967), Violence Every Sunday (1966) and Up For Glory (1965).

Since retiring, Mr. McSweeny has devoted himself to public service, concentrating on a number of local organizations including the Kennedy Center (Co-Chair Community Board), Ford's Theater (Chair), Holton-Arms (President), State Department Endowment Foundation (Co-Chair), and Georgetown University Hospital Cancer Center (Co-Chair). Mr. McSweeny, a combat infantry veteran of the Korean War, has been a Presidential Commissioner for the Korean War Memorial since 1984. In recent years, he has been the recipient of numerous awards, including the Helen Hayes Award, the Lincoln Medal and the District of Columbia Distinguished Citizen Medal.

The Board of Trustees of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts is responsible for the maintenance and administration of the Center. These responsibilities are divided into four specific programmatic mandates: presentation of classical and contemporary music, opera, drama and dance; presentation of lectures and programs; development of programs for children, youth, and the elderly; and provision of facilities for civic activities.

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