Administrative Information

Access Restrictions

None

Use Restrictions

Consult repository for information

Preferred Citation

Bill Elvin Collection, MSS 06-92, Virginia Room, Fairfax County Public Library.

Acquisition Information

Gift of Jan Elvin, 2004

Processing Information

Anne Musella, 2015; Chris Barbuschak, 2016
EAD generated by Ross Landis, 2024

Historical and Biographical Information

William J. “Bill” Elvin was born in Dumfries, Scotland on February 15, 1918 and emigrated to Frostburg, Maryland at the age of six. He attended the University of Michigan studying political science and was an associate editor of the student newspaper The Michigan Daily. After graduating, Elvin married Jane Legge of Cumberland, Maryland and later had four children with her. In September 1942, Elvin enlisted in the Army and became an officer in the Third Army under Gen. George S. Patton. He was wounded in France in 1944, and received the Purple Heart and Silver Star.

After the war, Elvin and his family moved to Northern Virginia in 1947. Elvin worked for the Fairfax Standard from 1947-1948, and later the Washington Star for eight years. In 1956, Elvin purchased the McLean Providence Journal from founding editor Richard Smith and subsequently moved to McLean, Virginia the following year. He wrote and edited the Journal from 1956 until he sold the publication to David Dear in 1986 but remained an associate editor. Elvin retired in 1991, but bought back the paper from Dear in 1995 renaming it The McLean Times and sold it to Arcom Publishing in 1996. Elvin once again retained his associate editor title for the paper and continued to write articles until a few weeks before his death on August 26, 2004.

Throughout his life, Bill Elvin was actively involved in the McLean community as a prominent member of the McLean Lions Club, McLean Historical Society, McLean Business and Professional Association, and McLean Citizens Association. In 1996, he won the “Citizen of the Year” award for his active participation in the McLean Citizens Association. Elvin also had a profound knowledge of McLean history and heavily contributed to several historical publications.

Scope and Content

Series 1: McLean Providence Journal Subject Files, 1914-2004, Boxes 1-14

Contains the first series of subject files Elvin created during the years he owned the McLean Providence Journal and continued to maintain in later years. This series was largely unsorted and randomly arranged before processing. Some files were alphabetized by Elvin while in other cases documents never made it into a file. The files in this series have since been placed in alphabetical order. Items include news clippings, articles, article drafts, correspondence, pamphlets, obituaries, publications, unofficial voting returns, election mailings, meeting minutes, notes, brochures, and photographs. Subjects include files on McLean’s history, residents, issues, politics, organizations, and community life as well as Fairfax County government information and files on local and national elections.

Series 2: McLean Providence Journal Subject Files, 1925-2004, Boxes 15-27

Contains the second series of alphabetical McLean Providence Journal files maintained by Elvin during and after his ownership of the newspaper. Items include news clippings, notes, article drafts, publications, magazine articles, reports, election mailings, meeting minutes, brochures, obituaries and photographs. Subjects include files on McLean’s history, residents, issues, politics, organizations, and community life as well as Fairfax County government information. Of particular importance is the Ku Klux Klan file which contains photographs of the Fairfax County Klan chapter and also the only known copy of Now & Then, a Fairfax County Klan produced newspaper.

Series 3: Photographs, 1956-2003, Boxes 28-30

Photographs in this series were published in either the McLean Providence Journal, Fairfax Herald, McLean Times or used by Elvin for reference and personal purposes. The majority of the photographs in this series are undated. Those that are dated correspond to the date the photo was captured or the date they were published in Elvin’s newspapers. Subjects mainly include Fairfax County and McLean residents, politicians, buildings, and community events.

Arrangement

The files are arranged alphabetically and primarily consist of subjects relating to the history, development, politics, and community life of McLean, Virginia including the McLean Citizens Association, politicians and elections in Fairfax County, and the McLean Providence Journal.

Related Material

None

Separated Material

Bill Elvin’s collection of original newspapers including the complete run of the McLean Providence Journal (1944-1995) remain unprocessed and stored off-site.

Index Terms

• Elvin, William J. “Bill” (1924-2004)
• Fairfax County - Elections
• Fairfax County - Government
• Fairfax County - Newspapers
• Fairfax County - Politics
• Fairfax Herald
• McLean Citizens Association
• McLean Providence Journal
• McLean Times
• McLean, Va.- History
• McLean, Va.- Planning

Adjunct Descriptive Data