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

Gust De Muynck's live football coverage during Belgium–Netherlands in 1931

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

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