Far
beyond the blockbuster paleontology
exhibits, awe-inspiring gemstones, and
carefully displayed exotic mammals that
spellbound millions of visitors at the
Smithsonian National Museum of Natural
History each year, is a still more fascinating
component of the museum, in the most
unlikely of places, far beyond the public
eye.
A
variety of un-accessioned treasures
with stories of their own to tell- curators,
research scientists, and technicians
alike- embody the National Museum of
Natural History, and are worthy of as
much study as the exhibits utilizing
their research.
Dr.
Harold Robinson became a member of the
Department of Botany at the National
Museum of Natural History in October
of 1962, and clearly remembers all forty-four
years he has spent there since. At the
time he was hired, as a "mere youngster"
with the "union card" (a PhD),
Dr. Robinson and the rest of the department
resided in the cramped quarters of the
Castle. Dr. Robinson used to take the
bus to work, almost always arriving
at the corner of the department of Justice
at the same time as J. Edgar Hoover
and his limo. The two exchanged stares
bright and early in the morning, and
Dr. Robinson has a feeling they wouldn't
have gotten along had they met one another.
He
plainly recalls the day when a visiting
researcher from Arizona, taking in a
perfectly framed view of the capital
building and indigo blue sky from a
round porthole Castle window in his
office, exclaimed "What a beautiful
picture!" Dr. Robinson delightedly
informed his guest that the picturesque
view was not a framed piece of art hanging
on the wall. Dr. Robinson found the
Castle windows bizarre, the air conditioning
"miserable," and the fact
that there was no water in the botany
department somewhat alarming. One afternoon
he discovered that a water pipe line
was being installed for a lab overhead,
running directly through the Department
of Botany. He asked the construction
crew if they would mind installing a
sink for the botany floor too, but he
was told that they needed a work order
for all projects. Taking matters into
his own hands, he waltzed down to the
chairman of the department with his
request, and was promptly given the
necessary paperwork for the sink installation.
The construction of the water pipe,
and drilling of holes, inevitably coated
the botany department in the dust of
the red sandstone Castle walls. The
botanists, beneficiaries of a laundry
service for barbershop-style monogrammed,
"Smithsonian Institution"
towels, used them to protect some of
their more important belongings from
the red sandstone powder. Incidentally,
as Dr. Robinson recalls, the laundry
service was one of the first cost cuts
implemented by the museum.
Dr.
Robinson was glad to see the Department
of Botany moved into the Museum of Natural
History in 1965. However, working late
one night in his new location, he was
a bit troubled to discover that there
was only one guard on duty for the entire
museum - an almost unbelievable account
in light of the museum's heavy security
system today. Referring to potential
robbers he shockingly observed, "all
they gotta do is show up, and clean
the place out!" On another evening
spent late at work, Dr. Robinson watched
10,000 student protestors of the Viet
Nam War being tear gassed as J. Edgar
Hoover stood watching from the balcony
of the adjacent building, the Department
of Justice. As the teargas filled the
streets, it seeped through the keyholes
in the windows of curator Lyman Smith's
botany office, where Dr. Robinson vividly
remembers having experienced it all.
Without
a doubt, some of the most important
botanical research, and colorful museum
history can be found at the Smithsonian
National Museum of Natural History -
thanks to the past forty-four years
Dr. Harold Robinson has devoted to the
museum, "enough time to get a few
things done."
--
Morgan Little
