Algimantas Viktoras Mackus (1932–1964) was a post-war émigré thinker and poet, known for his profound and existential poetry. Born on February 11, 1932, in Pagėgiai, Mackus experienced the tumultuous times of World War II and its aftermath. After the German occupation of Pagėgiai, he moved to Tauragė, then to Königsberg, and later to Berlin. In 1949, he emigrated to the United States, settling in Chicago, where he worked at a radio station alongside the future President of Lithuania, Valdas Adamkus. Mackus was active in the “Santaros-Šviesos” federation and served on its board. He published his poetry under the pseudonym Algimantas Pagėgis, including the collection "Elegijos" (1950). He was also involved in book publishing, writing criticism, and published four poetry collections before his untimely death in a car accident on December 27, 1964.
In 2002, a museum dedicated to the poet Algimantas Mackus was established at Pagėgiai Secondary School. On June 12, 2008, by the decision of the Pagėgiai Municipal Council (Resolution No. T-348), the school was re-named Algimantas Mackus Gymnasium, and the museum remains part of this institution.
The museum features original manuscripts by the poet, including a copy of the collection “Jo yra žemė” (There Is Land), with handwritten corrections by Mackus himself. It also houses copies of important documents: his birth certificate confirming his birth in Pagėgiai, a report card, a postcard he drew, literary notes, and original and copied photographs of his family and close ones, many of which were donated by Mackus' mother, Marcelė Gailytė-Mackienė.
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