Smithsonian Associates Created

Summary

The creation of the Smithsonian Society of Associates is announced during the celebration of the 200th anniversary of the birth of James Smithson. It was designed especially for residents of the Washington metropolitan area. The program, the name of which will later be shortened to "Smithsonian Associates," offers its members a wide range of educational and cultural activities, including classes in the arts, sciences, humanities, and crafts, as well as tours and opportunities for domestic travel.

Subject

Smithsonian Associates, The )

Category

Chronology of Smithsonian History

Notes

• The Torch claims that it was begun in November, and that Waldo L. Schmitt was first member. Secretary Walcott had considered the formation of a nationwide society of friends of the Smithsonian as part of an endowment campaign in the 1920s, but the project failed to materialize as a result of Walcott's death in 1927, as well as the onset of the Great Depression.
• Annual Report of the Smithsonian Institution for the year 1966. Washington, D.C.: Smithsonian Institution, 1966, p. 38-9.
• Oehser, Paul H. The Smithsonian Institution. New York: Praeger Publishers, 1970, p. 174.
• Smithsonian Institution Archives, Record Unit 371, Box 1, "The Torch'" December 1965, p. 1.
• Smithsonian Institution Archives, Record Unit 7098, "S. Dillon Ripley Chronology."

Contact information

Institutional History Division, Smithsonian Institution Archives, 600 Maryland Avenue, S.W., Washington, D.C. 20024-2520, SIHistory@si.edu

Date

September 18, 1965

Topic

• New Programs
• Education
• Public programs

Place

Washington (D.C.)

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