Voice of America's Celebration Plaque

Courtesy of the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library Museum, National Archives & Records Administration.

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Voice of America's Celebration Plaque

Artifact ID1982.00288.01

Object Type Microphone

Gifter Voice of America

Maker Altec Lansing, Inc. (American audio electronics company, founded 1927)

Date 1982

Medium Metal, Wood

Dimensions18 × 6 1/2 × 6 1/2 in. (45.7 × 16.5 × 16.5 cm)

Physical DescriptionA Voice of America award consisting of an Altec 639B birdcage microphone on a brown wooden square base. The microphone has a curved plaque above it with text stating “VOICE OF AMERICA” in raised silver letters. The base has a brass plaque lettered “To President Ronald Reagan on your visit to the Voice of America’s Celebration of 40 years of international broadcasting on February 24, 1982.” The base is carved “L. A. Lincoln 2-24-82” on the bottom.
Historical NoteThis award from presented to President Reagan during the Ceremony Commemorating the 40th Anniversary of the Voice of America is made from an Altec 639B ribbon microphone. Dating to the late 1930s, the 639B had a six-position pattern selector switch and was a general purpose microphone used in broadcasting and recording. It was given on February 24, 1982 when President Reagan attended a ceremony commemorating the 40th Anniversary of the Voice of America at the VOA headquarters building. When VOA Director James B. Conkling joked they had found the President’s fingerprints on the antiquated microphone, President Reagan replied, “This really dates me, I want you to know… We thought it was the newest and most fabulous thing in the world after an old carbon mike where every once in a while you had to turn the game down and then tap it with a pencil to separate the carbon crystals again.”
Additional Details

Custodial History NoteThe item was a gift from a member of the general public to President Ronald Reagan during the Reagan administration. It was received through the Executive Office of the President Office of Correspondence and maintained there until its transfer to the National Archives in January, 1989 for deposit with the Reagan Presidential Library.

National Archives Catalog CollectionRecords of the White House Gift Unit (Reagan Administration) (National Archives Identifier 6816362) and

National Archives Catalog SeriesGifts from the General Public (National Archives Identifier 6816363)

Use Restriction StatusRestricted - Possibly

Use Restriction NoteCopyright or other proprietary rights may be held by individuals or entities other than the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library and Museum. The Ronald Reagan Presidential Library and Museum does not warrant that the use of materials will not infringe on the rights of third parties holding the rights to these works, or make any representations or warranties with respect to the application or terms of any international agreement, treaty, or protections that may apply. It is your responsibility to determine and satisfy any copyright or other use restrictions. Pertinent regulations can be found at 36 C.F.R 1254.62.

In Collection(s)

Gifts from the General Public

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