Gust De Muynck (Antwerp, 5 December 1897 – Hoeilaart, 1986) was the first Flemish director of the Belgian Radio Broadcasting Company, the NIR - the precursor of the BRT and the current VRT. He was also famous as a writer and was married to Yvonne De Man, the sister of the socialist Hendrik De Man.[1] De Muynck had a modest background; he lived at the Dam in Antwerp, and his father was cobbler, hairdresser and innkeeper.[2]
Biography
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After his studies and military service De Muynck worked as an employee in a printing office.[3] Thereafter he became active in the socialist movement and worked at the Arbeidershogeschool since 1922.[3] In between, he kept studying at the VUB and in 1932 he became master in economic sciences.[3]
In 1930 the Belgian Institute for Radio Broadcast (NIR) was founded.[4] The first director-general was Marcel Van Soust de Borckenfeldt, and per language group one director was assigned. For Flanders it became Gust De Muynck, for Wallonia Théo Fleischman.[5]
During World War II he was employed with the National Work for Child Welfare.[6] In between De Muynck wrote a biography about Winston Churchill. It was edited in 1944 both in Dutch and in French.[7][8]
At the end of World War II Gust De Muynck left for the United States.[2] He stayed there for a year and a half and was correspondent for both national radio broadcasting companies. Back in Belgium he became deputy of the Minister of Traffic Management in the council of the NIR, until 1958.[9]
From then on De Muynck became Director-General of Social Affairs from the European Economic Community, in Brussels.[9]
References
edit- ^ Florquin 1968, p. 127.
- ^ a b Florquin 1968, p. 134.
- ^ a b c Florquin 1968, p. 136.
- ^ De Groef, Erik. "Bondige geschiedenis van de radio in Vlaanderen" (in Dutch). omroepmuseum.be. Retrieved 4 May 2016.
- ^ "Geschiedenis van de openbare omroep" (in Dutch). VRT. Retrieved 4 May 2016.
- ^ Florquin 1968, p. 123.
- ^ De Muynck 1944a.
- ^ De Muynck 1944b.
- ^ a b Florquin 1968, p. 140.
Bibliography
edit- De Muynck, Gust (1944a). Winston Spencer Churchill (in Dutch). Brussels: Manteau.
- De Muynck, Gust (1944b). Winston Spencer Churchill (in French). Brussels/Paris: Lumière.
- Florquin, Joos (1968). Ten huize van... (PDF) (in Dutch). Vol. 4. Leuven: Davidsfonds.