civic leader R. Robert Linowes, the council gave unrestricted 

 gifts that will benefit research and education projects. 

 Members' gifts also supported the Institution's partnership 

 with the D.C. Public Schools, the Museum Magnet School 

 program; helped ensure that the Smithsonian Office of 

 Education's Web site reaches teachers locally and nationally 

 with lesson plans and other resources; made possible Teachers' 

 Night, an annual event showcasing ways educators can use the 

 Smithsonian in their teaching; and helped advance a planned 

 Education Resource Center on the National Mall. 



Smithsonian Legacy Society 



The Smithsonian Legacy Society, founded in 1996 to honor 

 our friends who carry on James Smithson's tradition by 

 making legacy gifts to the Smithsonian, gained momentum 

 this year. Supporters continue to explore bequests, charitable 

 gift annuities, charitable remainder trusts, pooled income 

 fund gifts, gifts of retirement and life insurance plans, and 

 other giving vehicles. Legacy gifts are a growing and impor- 

 tant source of future support at the Smithsonian. Those whose 

 planned gifts are made known in future years will be wel- 

 comed into the society. 



Smithsonian Luncheon Group 



Chaired by C. Benjamin Crisman Jr., the Smithsonian 

 Luncheon Group is a circle of supporters from the Wash- 

 ington area who meet regularly to learn about Smithsonian 

 programs, from art to zoology. The group met five times this 

 year and visited the National Museum of American History's 

 Hall of Musical Instruments, explored Japanese an at the Ar- 

 thur M. Sackler Gallery, attended a showing of Ansel Adams 

 photographs at the National Museum of American Art, 

 delved into research at the National Zoological Park's "Think 

 Tank" exhibition, and attended a lecture about Mars by scien- 

 tists from the Center for Earth and Planetary Studies at the 

 National Air and Space Museum. The endowment that the 

 group established two years ago for education programs to 

 benefit Washington, D.C. -area youth continues to grow. 



Capital Campaign 



This year, we began planning in greater detail for a capital 

 campaign in which we will ask the American people for their 

 support to ensure that their Smithsonian remains a vital na- 

 tional resource. The campaign received a significant boost 

 from philanthropist Kenneth E. Behring, whose gift to the 

 National Museum of Natural History will enable the renova- 

 tion of the popular Mammal Hall and the development of out- 

 reach activities that teach budding scientists across the 

 country about biology and conservation. The Smithsonian 

 Board of Regents recognized Behring for his generosity, and 

 he was inducted into the Order of James Smithson, a distinc- 

 tion given to only four people in the Institution's history. 



Another project benefiting from the early stages of the cam- 

 paign is the National Museum of American History's Star- 



48 



Spangled Banner Preservation Project. Through research, 

 education, and exhibitions, the project illustrates the wide- 

 ranging support the Smithsonian must seek during its capital 

 campaign. Gifts this year ranged from $10 million from Polo 

 Ralph Lauren Corporation and a $5 million pledge from the 

 Pew Charitable Trusts to $5 donations from individual sup- 

 porters. In berween, foundations, individuals, and many other 

 friends made gifts and shared their expertise so that the 

 Smithsonian can undertake the research necessary to conserve 

 the flag, better understand its history and context, and pro- 

 vide fresh educational and interpretive materials. 



The Smithsonian Fund for the Future, an important vehicle 

 for the campaign and the foundation for a solid base of long- 

 term support, continued to grow this year. The fund is a 

 living endowment established through the generosity of the 

 Smithsonian National Board. 



We also developed a strategic plan for implementing the 

 capital campaign and a case statement detailing the 

 Smithsonian's needs and its benefits to the nation. In mid- 

 September, the Smithsonian Regents gave the campaign their 

 official endorsement and committed resources to support its 

 implementation. This momentum and the early gifts to the 

 campaign point to a strong national interest from people in 

 all regions and all walks of life. We will also deepen our 

 relationship with the friends whose generosiry and active 

 involvement with the Smithsonian are described in this 

 report. 



Preserving the Star-Spangled Banner 



The Star-Spangled Banner — an American icon and a great 

 treasure of the national collections — is undergoing what may 

 be the largest single textile conservation effort ever under- 

 taken by a museum. The three-year project, which is recog- 

 nized by the White House Millennium Council's Save 

 America's Treasures program, has attracted wide public 

 attention, as well as generous support from corporations, 

 foundations, and individuals. 



Polo Ralph Lauren pledged $10 million to the National 

 Museum of American History, the largest single corporate gift 

 ever received by the Smithsonian Institution in its 152-year 

 history. 



"The flag is an inspiration for all Americans," said Ralph 

 Lauren, chairman and CEO of Polo Ralph Lauren Corpora- 

 tion. "It captures the dreams and imagination of men and 

 women all over the world. I am a product of the American 

 dream, and the flag is its symbol. We at Polo Ralph Lauren 

 are incredibly honored to be able to make this possible." 



The flag preservation project is also supported by a $5 mil- 

 lion grant from the Pew Charitable Trusts and a special $3 

 million appropriation from the Congress of the United States. 



Other organizations that had contributed to the flag by the 

 close of fiscal year 199S include the John S. and James L. 

 Knight Foundation, the Brown Foundation, Ivan and Nina 

 Selin Family Foundation, Susan and Elihu Rose Foundation, 



