J26 AiNINTJAL REPORT SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION, 1950 



Lastly, on June 28, 1950, the Air Museum participated as host to 

 a small company gathered in the Aircraft Building to witness the 

 awarding of a citation to Mrs. ("Mother") C. A. Tusch, Berkeley, 

 Calif., by the United States Air Force, in recognition of her great 

 interest in and fostering of airmen over the past 30 years. In the 

 course of her long voluntary service Mrs. Tusch had gathered in her 

 home a large collection of aeronautical memorabilia which she gener- 

 ously presented to the National Air Museum earlier in the year. A 

 token exhibit of the "Mother" Tusch collection formed the back- 

 ground for the ceremony setting. 



CURATORIAL ACTIVITIES 



The curator, Paul E. Garber, reports on the year's work as follows: 

 The general condition of aeronautical exhibits continues good, but 

 the need for space is desperate. Until an adequate building of its 

 own is provided, the National Air Museum is restricted for its displays 

 to the Aircraft Building — a World War I hangar erected in 1919 — and 

 a small hall and overhead suspended exhibits in the adjacent Arts 

 and Industries Building. These areas now house 37 man-carrying 

 aircraft together with numerous engines, structural parts, and cased 

 displays of parachutes, instruments, flight clothing, models, and other 

 material reflecting some of the accomplishments of designers, engi- 

 neers, and airmen. Were adequate space available a far more com- 

 plete picture of aeronautical progress could be created with the 

 irreplaceable material that the Museum now has in storage. This 

 is a source of much disappointment to the visitor, the student, and 

 historians. 



A number of improvements were made in the bureau's exhibits 

 during the year. Two bays in the Aircraft Building are now assigned 

 to the Wright Brothers. In one, the portrait busts of Wilbur and 

 Orville Wright are associated with memorials and awards; in the 

 other there is displayed a reproduction of their wind tunnel, while 

 on the walls their story is augmented by photographs, drawings, and 

 paintings. To satisfy further the public interest in the Kitty Hawk, 

 a 4-panel floor frame containing photographs of the Wright Brothers, 

 a picture of their first flight, and a nomenclature drawing of the 

 machine was installed beneath the plane. Twelve scale models of 

 aircraft, illustrating types developed and flown by a number of the 

 pioneers who foUowed the Wright Brothers, were attractively arranged 

 in realistic action positions in a scenic setting depicting a flying field 

 of the pioneer period. The planes are identified in the text on a 

 miniature "billboard" bordering the field. A splendid series of 

 paintings by Jerome D. Biederman, illustrating World War II air- 



