{"id":3184,"date":"2023-06-01T14:49:28","date_gmt":"2023-06-01T14:49:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/tmcldev.wpengine.com\/mcgovern\/?p=3184"},"modified":"2026-03-25T20:14:37","modified_gmt":"2026-03-25T20:14:37","slug":"the-legacy-of-dr-john-p-mcgovern-an-archival-expedition","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/library.tmc.edu\/mcgovern\/2023\/06\/01\/the-legacy-of-dr-john-p-mcgovern-an-archival-expedition\/","title":{"rendered":"The Legacy of Dr. John P. McGovern: An Archival Expedition"},"content":{"rendered":"\r\n

by Tara Sims, Archivist and Special Collections Librarian.<\/strong><\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

In the sprawling city of Houston, one common thread binds together several attractions and major institutions\u2014the name McGovern. From McGovern Lake<\/a> to the McGovern Children’s Zoo<\/a>, the McGovern Museum of Health & Medical Science<\/a> to the McGovern Medical School at UTHealth<\/a> and the McGovern Historical Center<\/a>, it\u2019s clear that Dr. John P. McGovern had a significant influence on this bustling metropolis. But the influence of Dr. McGovern extends far beyond that of Houston, Texas. I\u2019d like to think that most Houstonians know who Dr. John P. McGovern was, or why his name is memorialized throughout the city. But for those who aren\u2019t familiar with his legacy, and for those who want to know more, this blog\u2019s for you.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Apart from being an internationally renowned physician, Dr. McGovern was a Houston-based pediatrician, allergist, immunologist, humanitarian, teacher, scholar, author, editor, historian, researcher, philanthropist, and entrepreneur. He integrated the humanities into the art of medicine and believed that healthcare was a holistic pursuit of patient-centered care, compassion, and service. An Oslerian disciple and scholar, he co-founded the American Osler Society<\/a>, and was even trained under a physician who had the privilege of studying under Sir William Osler<\/a> himself. He donated tens of millions of dollars during his lifetime to medical research, education, and public health; held multiple faculty appointments (Baylor, UT Health, and M.D. Anderson, to name a few); received honorary doctoral degrees from 29 major colleges and universities; authored or co-authored 22 books and 247 publications; and served as the editor or member of editorial boards for more than 20 scientific journals.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Jack McGovern was truly one-of-a-kind, and we were lucky to have him.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

As the new Archivist and Special Collections Librarian at the TMC Library and McGovern Historical Center, I am honored to have been entrusted with preserving and providing access to four archival collections related to McGovern’s life, distinguished career, and diverse interests. Of these four collections, the most extensive and significant include the John P. McGovern, MD Papers<\/a> and the McGovern Rare Book Collection on the History of Medicine<\/a>. The John P. McGovern, MD Collection of Texas Historical Medical Documents<\/a> and the John P. McGovern Museum Health and Medical Sciences Collection<\/a> are smaller in size but are just as noteworthy and unique as their counterparts. And much like the McGovern Rare Book Collection, they do a great job showcasing his historian\/curator\/collector side. Eventually, all four of these collections will be re-arranged and descriptively enhanced to improve discoverability and accessibility for users. Selected materials of particular interest will also be digitized, made available on our collection site, and promoted through online and physical exhibitions.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

This is the first blog (the pilot episode, if you will) of many more that will grow into a special series dedicated to McGovern\u2019s life and legacy. Updates and news (and other fun stuff!) pertaining to McGovern\u2019s manuscript and rare book collections will be highlighted and featured on the Black Bag as the they are processed. So stay tuned; more to come soon!<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n

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\"[Young
[Young Jack McGovern (n.d.). MS115 John P. McGovern MD Papers, box 4, folder 3, McGovern Historical Center, Texas Medical Center Library.]<\/figcaption><\/figure>\r\n\r\n<\/figure>\r\n<\/div>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
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\"[Dr.
[Dr. McGovern administering a vaccine to young patient in 1953. MS 115 John P. McGovern MD Papers, scrapbook box, folder 10, McGovern Historical Center, Texas Medical Center Library.]<\/figcaption><\/figure>\r\n\r\n<\/figure>\r\n<\/div>\r\n\r\n
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\"[Legal
[Legal document signed by George D. Neal in October 1897 attesting he had not been infected with or exposed to yellow fever, an epidemic that plagued cities in southern Texas from 1839-1905. MS 021 John P. McGovern Historical Medical Documents, box 2, folder 2, McGovern Historical Center, Texas Medical Center Library.]<\/figcaption><\/figure>\r\n\r\n<\/figure>\r\n<\/div>\r\n\r\n
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\"[Accounts
[Accounts receivable note signed by John T. Patterson in 1839 for professional services, medication and drugs. MS 021 John P. McGovern Historical Medical Documents, box 2, folder 4, McGovern Historical Center, Texas Medical Center Library.]<\/figcaption><\/figure>\r\n\r\n<\/figure>\r\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

by Tara Sims, Archivist and Special Collections Librarian. In the sprawling city of Houston, one common thread binds together several attractions and major institutions\u2014the name McGovern. From McGovern Lake to the McGovern Children’s Zoo, the McGovern Museum of Health & Medical Science to the McGovern Medical School at UTHealth and the McGovern Historical Center, it\u2019s […]<\/p>\n

Read More…<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":22,"featured_media":3222,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"image","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[86,9,94,26,45,39,73],"tags":[98],"class_list":["post-3184","post","type-post","status-publish","format-image","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-featured","category-images","category-john-p-mcgovern","category-manuscript-collection","category-rare-books","category-texas-medical-center-library","category-tmc-leaders","tag-mcgovernproject","post_format-post-format-image"],"authors":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/library.tmc.edu\/mcgovern\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3184","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/library.tmc.edu\/mcgovern\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/library.tmc.edu\/mcgovern\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/library.tmc.edu\/mcgovern\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/22"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/library.tmc.edu\/mcgovern\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3184"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/library.tmc.edu\/mcgovern\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3184\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/library.tmc.edu\/mcgovern\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3222"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/library.tmc.edu\/mcgovern\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3184"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/library.tmc.edu\/mcgovern\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3184"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/library.tmc.edu\/mcgovern\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3184"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}