Journalist. Writer of a nationally syndicated column for over 40 years, he will probably be better remembered as a regular panelist on the PBS series "Washington Week in Review". Raised in Lexington, Virginia, from early childhood, he graduated from Washington and Lee University and received a master's in journalism from Columbia University before joining the "Richmond Times Dispatch" in 1949. McDowell covered local stories until 1965 when he became his paper's Washington correspondent; he began writing his popular column in 1954 and was to continue until his 1998 retirement, along the way introducing such fictional characters as Aunt Gertrude and Reliable Source who gave their take on the news of the day. His 18 year run on "Washington Week in Review" began in 1978, though he had been seen on earlier PBS features including "Summer of Judgment: The Watergate Hearings" for which he was both writer and host. McDowell took part in two of Ken Burns' most noted series, serving as a commentator on both "The Civil War" and "Baseball", and for "The Civil War" also providing the voice of Army of Tennessee Private Sam Watkins when reading clips from the soldier's classic "Co. Aytch". He published three books including "Campaign Fever", a look at the 1964 election. McDowell died after being ill with dementia for about ten years.
Journalist. Writer of a nationally syndicated column for over 40 years, he will probably be better remembered as a regular panelist on the PBS series "Washington Week in Review". Raised in Lexington, Virginia, from early childhood, he graduated from Washington and Lee University and received a master's in journalism from Columbia University before joining the "Richmond Times Dispatch" in 1949. McDowell covered local stories until 1965 when he became his paper's Washington correspondent; he began writing his popular column in 1954 and was to continue until his 1998 retirement, along the way introducing such fictional characters as Aunt Gertrude and Reliable Source who gave their take on the news of the day. His 18 year run on "Washington Week in Review" began in 1978, though he had been seen on earlier PBS features including "Summer of Judgment: The Watergate Hearings" for which he was both writer and host. McDowell took part in two of Ken Burns' most noted series, serving as a commentator on both "The Civil War" and "Baseball", and for "The Civil War" also providing the voice of Army of Tennessee Private Sam Watkins when reading clips from the soldier's classic "Co. Aytch". He published three books including "Campaign Fever", a look at the 1964 election. McDowell died after being ill with dementia for about ten years.
Bio by: Bob Hufford
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