Torch Employee Newsletter, June 1966
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THE SMITHSONIAN ~ ORCH SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION, WASHINGTON, D. C. NO. 17 (NEW SERIES), JUNE 1966 HIRSH HORN ART COLLECTION ARTIST IN RESIDENCE TO BE UNDER SMITHSONIAN CHOSEN FOR SMITHSONIAN ADMINISTRATION Saul Steinberg has been chosen to be the Joseph H . Hirshhorn and Mrs. Hirshhorn first occupant in a new position established were the luncheon guests of Mrs. Lyndon at the Smithsonian, artist in residence. Mr. Johnson at the Museum of History and Steinberg, the brilliant New York painter Technology on May 17. Later, it was and cartoonist, is often characterized as officially announced that the United States, being as "delightful, charming, and in with the Smithsonian Institution as admin teresting" as his provocative cartoons and istrator, has acquired the Hirshhorn water colors. A friend once remarked: famed art collection. Included are 5,600 " Steinberg enjoys talking about his work paintings, drawings, and sculptures repre and is not at all loath to explain what he senting one of the largest private art col means to say." lections in the world . The present-day Mrs. S. Dillon Ripley, Mr. Joseph H . Hirsh " Within an informal framework, the value has been estimated at $25 million to horn, Mrs. Hirshhorn, and Sec. Ripley. $50 million. artist in residence would be available for talks, avail himself to the staff and the The collection will be housed in a new people who drop in on him, and, hope museum with an outdoor sculpture garden SPENCER BAIRD'S BIRTHPLACE fully, would show his own works while which will be built on the Mall site of the REDEDICATED IN READING, PA . here," said Charles Blitzer, Director of Medical Muse um of the Armed Forces Education and Training. The tenure of Institute of Pathology. Abram Lerner, Paul H. Oehser, Research Associate, rep the position will be one year, as is that of the present curator of the Hirshhorn col resented the Smithsonian on April 30 at the Library of Congress consultant in lection, will become the first director of ceremonies held in Reading, Pa., rededi poetry. The artist will have an office in the new structure to be named the Joseph cating a plaque marking the birthplace of the National Collection of Fine Arts but H. Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Gar Spencer Fullerton Baird, second Smith will be free to allocate his talents as he den . The bill forwarded to Congress by sonian Secretary. The house where Baird sees fit. This position also further estab President Johnson authorizing construc was born in 1823 , in downtown Reading, lishes one of Secretary Ripley's goals of a tion of this museum provides for a special has been torn down, and on its site a lively university atmosphere within the Board of Trustees, four to be nominated modern bank building was recently erected. Smithsonian complex. by Mr. Hirshhorn and four by the Smith Through the good offices of members of Mr. Steinberg has been generally ele sonian Board of Regents. The Chief J us the Historical Society of Berks County, vated by the critics to lofty heights. Re tice and the Secretary of the Smithsonian the plaque was rescued and now occupies cently the London Times rated him as one will be ex officio members. a prominent place on the new building. of the greatest draftsmen of all time. In addition to the collection, Mr. Hirsh Mr. Oehser spoke briefly at the unveiling The artist is a Rumanian-born naturalized horn is also giving a million-dollar endow and also gave a talk on Spencer F. Baird American citizen with a unique back ment for the purchase of works of con at a luncheon held at the headquarters ground including studies in sociology, temporary art. and museum of the Society. The Museum has on display an exhibit of Baird mem psychology, and architecture at Milan; The collection contains probably the orabilia and an exhibit of recent Smithso service in the U. S. Navy instructing Chi world's largest single assembly of Amer nian publications in history and technology. nese guerrillas in blowing up bridges and ican art, with examples ranging from transporting explosives and later with the Thomas Eakins of the mid-19th century Office of Strategic Services in Africa. to Willem de Kooning, the great con At the present time M r. Steinberg is in temporary abstractionist. Works of the Europe, where an exhibition of his work 1930's by such artists of later prominence is running in Paris. His first tour of duty as Milton Avery, Franz Kline, Ben Shahn, with the Smithsonian will begin next Philip Evergood, and Stuart Davis are January. included. The sculpture collection is international EWERS GIVEN HONORAR Y in scope, encom'passing the Hittite culture, DEGREE BY U. OF MONTANA Greece's Golden Age, and late 19th- and early 20th-century masters. The contem John C . Ewers, Senior Scientist, Smith porary collection includes such greats as sonian Office of Anthropology, received Jacques Lipchitz, Marino Marini, Henry an honorary degree of Doctor of Laws Moore, Picasso, and Giacometti. (LL.D.) on June 5 at the University of Secretary Ripley said of the collection in Smithsonian Regents st udy the model of the Montana commencement exercises at new Air and Space Muse um at the recent regard to making Washington the number dinner when Dr. Robert Multhauf and Dr. Missoula, Mont. The sponsoring depart two art center in the country: "We are big Richard S. Cowan were sworn in as Di ments of the University were the Depart enough now to be able to have Washing rectors of the Muse um of History and Tech ment of Sociology, Anthropology, and So ton as a foil to New York. This is what nology and the Museum of Natural History, cial Welfare, and the Department of His is so very exciting about this gift." respecti vely. tory within the College of Arts and Sciences. TEN-YEAR PROJECT BY SAO ESTABLISHES THE SMITHSONIAN TORCH "STANDARD EARTH" SAO has completed a ten-year program to establish a "Standard Earth," one of the most precise representations of the AN EMPLOYEES' NEWSPAPER, PUBLISHED MONTHLY earth's geometric figure and gravitational EDITORIAL BOARD: S. PAUL JOHNSTON, PAUL H. OEHSER, WILLIAM WARNER potential ever made. EDITOR: ELIZABETH BEVERLEY PHOTOS: ALBERT J. ROBINSON The Smithsonian " Standard Earth" es timates intercontinental distances to an accuracy of less than 50 feet, as compared SMITHSONIAN REGENT HAMARNEH RECEIVES AWARD to previous errors of hundreds of feet. FROM AMERICAN INSTITUTE OF This milestone in geodetic research, based THE HISTORY OF PHARMACY on more than 40,000 observations of ar tificial satellites, was announced at the Sami K. Hamarneh, Curator, D ivision of Seventh Annual International Space Medical Sciences, has received the Edward Sciences Symposi um (May 11-17) at Kremers Award for distinguished pharmaco Vienna, Austria. Five scientists presented historical writing by an American at the individual papers describing different as American Institute of the History of Phar pects of the " Standard Earth" in detail. macy's 25th anni versary luncheon at the Three papers were presented by Smith annual mee ting of the American Pharma sonian Observatory scientists-Dr. F . L. ceutical Association at Dallas, Tex. The Whipple, Dr. Walter Kohnlein, and E . M. award was made " for hi s meticulous Gaposchkin, and two were presented by scholarship and important revisionary in men close ly associated with the Observa terpretations concerning the hi story of tory-Dr. George Veis of the National pharmacy in Islamic culture," specifically, Technical University, Athens, Greece, and as stated by the American Institute of the Dr. William E. Strange of the University of Hawaii. History of Pharmacy's Committee, for his publication "The Rise of Professional The "Standard Earth" will provide ref Pharmacy in Islam," in M edical History erence data for future investigations of 1962 and hi s steadily growing contribution distances between points on the surface to the history of pharmacy in the form of of the earth and determinations of small numerous bibliographical and historical irregularities in the earth's gravitational George Herman Mahon, member of the articles of high merit relating to Islamic field. Speaking for the Smithsonian staff, Smithsonian Board of Regents, was born pharmacy, including his book (with Glenn Dr. Whipple said: "This milestone in on September 22, 1900, in Mahon, La. Sonnedecker as co-author) A Pharmaceu satellite tracking and analysis culminates The family of eight children moved to tical View of A bulcasis A /-Zahrawi in a decade of world-wide scientific coopera Loraine in Western Texas in 1908 . He was Moorish Spain (Leiden, 1963). tion which has produced gratifying results. The potential of artificial satellites as reared on a cotton farm and has been Dr. Hamarneh is an American, born in engaged in farming all his life. He attend powerful and penetrating tools for geo Jordan, and earned his B.S. degree in physical research is now generally recog ed a rural school and graduated from pharmacy in Jordan. He subsequently re nized. The next decade will see them Loraine High School, where he met his ceived his M.S. degree from the School integrated completely with earthbound wife. In 1924 he received a B. A. degree of Pharmacy at North Dakota Agricul methodology to produce even more strik from Simmons College, now Hardin tural College, and his Ph.D. (with a joint ing progress in understanding our earth Simmons University, Abilene, Tex., and in major in history of pharmacy and the and its past." 1925 he received a law degree from the history of science) at the University of University of Texas Law School. Wisconsin. He joined the Smithsonian The following papers were also pre In 1925 Mr.