SECRETARY'S REPORT 125 



SPECIAL EVENTS 

 The following special presentation ceremonies were held during 

 the year. The RVX 1-5 nose cone, presented by Gen. Bernard A. 

 Schriever, USAF; a Beechcraft Executive airplane, presented by 

 George L. Lee, Sr., chairman of the board of the Red Devil Tool Co.; 

 the Able-Baker space flight equipment, presented by Lt. Gen. J. H. 

 Hinrichs, U.S. Army ; the XF8U-1 "Crusader," presented by Charles 

 J. McCarthy of Chance- Vought Company and Adm. James S. Russell 

 of the Navy ; the Discoverer XIII satellite, presented by Gen. Thomas 

 D. White, Chief of Staff, USAF; and the first space camera, pre- 

 sented by Hilliard W. Page, general manager of the missile and space 

 vehicle department of the General Electric Company. 



The Director attended the Air Force Association Annual Meeting 

 in San Francisco at which he was honored with the Alpha Eta Rho 

 Aviation Fraternity Award for contributions to Aviation Education. 

 He also attended the annual meeting of the National Aeronautic As- 

 sociation, the Lester D. Gardner Lecture by Gen. James H. Doolittle 

 at MIT, the dedication of the Paul Moore Research and Development 

 Center at Republic Aviation Corporation, and visited numerous 

 Army, Navy, Air Force, and NASA bases. He spoke frequently on 

 these visits, emphasizing the importance of the proper preservation 

 and recording of the history of space flight now being made. 



Paul E. Garber, head curator and historian, and curators Louis S. 

 Casey and Kenneth E. Newland represented the air museum at a 

 number of aviation meetings during the year. Mr. Garber delivered 

 27 lectures. 



IMPROVEMENTS IN EXHIBITS 



There have been continuous experimentation and improvements in 

 the Museum's exhibits, reflected particularly in the renovated Air and 

 Space Building which has proved to be a valuable testing ground for 

 new methods of display, in anticipation of the new building. 



REPAIR, PRESERVATION, AND RESTORATION 



Continued improvement in the facilities at the Silver Hill, Md., 

 restoration and preservation division has been accomplished. This is 

 now a busy little aircraft "factory," made out of storage space, pre- 

 serving and restoring aircraft and engines for display in the new 

 building. Examples of the work done are found in the Air and Space 

 Building. 



ASSISTANCE TO GOVERNMENT DEPARTMENTS 



Service and information was provided during the year to various 

 Government departments including the Federal Aviation Agency, 

 National Aeronautics and Space Administration, Justice Department, 

 U.S. Navy, U.S. Air Force, Post Office Department, and Bureau of 

 Standards. 



