In Memoriam: Gottwald

The American Civil War Museum would like to take this opportunity to acknowledge the friendship and generous leadership support of the late Floyd D. Gottwald, Jr. and his family foundation, The Herndon Foundation. The ACWM would not exist today if it were not for the extraordinary leadership and foresight of the Gottwald Family under the guidance of both Bruce Gottwald, Sr. and his brother Floyd. Over the years, although his schedule was full, Mr. Gottwald tried to attend the programs and events offered by the museum, including the opening gala in May 2019, and he was always a positive and supportive voice for the museum.

Under Floyd Gottwald’s direction, and with the assistance of his three sons, William M. Gottwald, John D. Gottwald and James T. Gottwald, the Herndon Foundation has generously supported the museum since 2004. We are forever grateful to them for their continued generosity and commitment to the ACWM, making the museum a profound success.

We asked Bill Gottwald the following question regarding his father's long history of philanthropy and generosity: "What was the driving cause or purpose of your father's generosity and philanthropy, in general, and what did he want to achieve?"

Bill kindly answered with the following:

"Dad was born in 1922, which means he would have formed his childhood memories during the depression. I think he must have observed how much those less fortunate suffered during those times. I see that as a direct connection leading to his interest in helping children in this area with their education. His real interest in the heritage and history of Virginia must have come from growing up in Fulton in the East End so near the Civil War battlefields and the cemetery in Fulton as well as attending John Marshall High School and VMI. Albemarle Paper, where he worked after WWII, had plants along the river near the New Market corporate offices today and owned the Tredegar Iron Works. He used to take my brothers and me down to Tredegar to play, probably while he was getting some work done at the plant on Saturdays. He also felt that to have a vibrant city Richmond needed to have a good symphony, good museums and the like. I think overall he was interested in having Richmond put its best face forward and wanted to do what he could to help that."

Through the family's foundation, The Herndon Foundation, Mr. Gottwald's legacy, as described by his son, Bill, will continue to benefit all Virginians.