Description: Eva J. PellSmithsonian Institution Archives Oral History Collection, SIA009640Eva J. Pell (1948- ), Smithsonian Undersecretary for Science from 2010 to 2014, cracked a glass ceiling by becoming the highest-ranking woman to serve as a science manager at the Smithsonian. She was born in New York City to immigrant parents who, from the start, encouraged her to pursue and value
Description: Volunteers have been an integral part of the Smithsonian since the beginning. As our historian Pamela Henson likes to say, we have always relied on the kindness of strangers. A blog post in honor of Volunteer Appreciation Month 2015. Includes a list of Smithsonian crowdsourcing projects that volunteers can participate in.
Description: Born in 1829 to free black parents along the border between Maryland and the District of Columbia, Solomon Galleon Brown would become, at age 23, the first black employee of the Smithsonian. Starting out as a laborer in the Exchange Office, he ultimately became the personal assistant of Spencer Baird, the second secretary of the Smithsonian. By the time of his 1904 retirement,