56 



Annals of the Smithsonian Institution 2000 



topical indexes were drafted in Excel as finding aids to this 

 exhibition; volunteer staff researched and recorded informa- 

 tion for the biographical database. Staff also began a 

 program to regularly monitor current levels and solicit addi- 

 tional needed amounts of new U.S. stamp issues to stock the 

 Master and Reference collections. 



Educational Initiatives 



In Fiscal Year 2000, the Education Department began the 

 initial research and development of a gallery cart, funded by 

 a Smithsonian Women's Committee grant, focusing on the 

 science behind steamboats that carried mail. The cart will 

 have a demonstration component as well as an accompanying 

 interactive student tour. We began development on a new 

 curriculum guide with a working title, Stamp Mural Book. 



The Education Department's other highlights for the year 

 included continuing docent training classes who in turn, 

 conducted literally thousands of tours for the public. The 

 Education Department developed and hosted more than 20 

 engaging and interactive programs and lectures for visitors 

 covering a wide range of postal history and philately. The 

 hands-on Discovery Center Day increased its average atten- 

 dance to 84 visitors to each two-hour session. In February, as 

 part of National Consumer Protection Week, the National 

 Postal Museum presented a public program with the U.S. 

 Postal Inspection Service to educate visitors how to avoid 

 becoming a victim of "identity theft." Another highly suc- 

 cessful public program was the Valentine's Day Festival in 

 February with 2,000 attendees. Other public programs in- 

 cluded a bus tour of historic Washington, D.C. post offices 

 and a live theatre presentation of the Churchill family as 

 portrayed through their letters. 



The Graceful Envelope Contest enjoyed another successful 

 year with "Celebrating the Millenium" as the contest theme 

 for Fiscal Year 2000. Seventy-five winning envelopes depict- 

 ing significant events of the past century were selected from 

 the entries and displayed in a special exhibition from May to 

 October. Similarly, the second "Folk Art Mailbox Contest" 

 attracted many entries with photographs of five winning 

 mailboxes displayed in the museum. All three exhibitions 

 were also represented by on-line counterparts. 



The Education Department continued its strong outreach 

 efforts with the continued distribution of the "Classroom in 

 a Can" project. Lessons Two and Three of this initiative 

 focused on letter writing and papermaking. The kits were 

 distributed to 2000 Title 1 schools nationwide. The Educa- 

 tion Department also distributed 1,322 Postal Pack for 

 Elementary Students, 785 Pen Friends, 1001 Secondary School 

 Postal Packs, and 456 Letters From Home publications. 



National Zoological Park 



Lucy H. Spelman, Director 



The National Zoo was established by an act of Congress as a 

 Smithsonian bureau in 1889. The Zoo's primary mission re- 



mains essentially as set forth then: the advancement of sci- 

 ence and the education and recreation of the people. Today, 

 the Zoo is not only carrying forward its founders' visions 

 into the new millennium, but it is also positioning itself to 

 be a leader in educating the public in the fields of wildlife 

 and biology, areas that will intimately affect their lives in the 

 next decades. 



The Zoo's great success in developing innovative medical 

 care for its animals produced a large number of aging ani- 

 mals among the collection. As many of the animals 

 developed problems associated with old age, the Office of 

 Public Affairs prepared local media for the inevitable demise 

 of some of the Zoo's popular animals. This resulted in a 

 lengthy Washington Post article about the Zoo's efforts to cope 

 with geriatric problems. Over the course of the year several 

 charismatic animals died. 



In May 1999, Hsing Hsing, the Zoo's giant panda had 

 been diagnosed with chronic kidney failure. He was treated 

 and remained comfortable until November, when it became 

 apparent that the quality of his life had deteriorated to an 

 unacceptable level. He was euthanized on November 28. 



Nancy, an African elephant, was euthanized on August 

 22, 2000. She was 46 years old and had been experiencing 

 chronic medical problems for almost two years. After she 

 had begun to lose weight in January 1999, veterinarians 

 discovered that she had developed ascites (fluid in the ab- 

 domen) and had a very low blood protein level. This was 

 attributed to a combination of poor kidney function and 

 poor absorption of nutrients from her intestinal tract. She 

 was treated with two oral medicines and improved dramati- 

 cally until July 1999, when she developed osteomylitis, a 

 bone infection, in a digit on her left front foot. Veterinarians 

 successfully treated this for over a year, but by mid- August 

 2000, the elephant began to refuse oral medicines and her 

 condition worsened. Given all of her problems, Zoo veteri- 

 narians, elephant keepers, and the Zoo Director decided to 

 euthanize her. 



Michael Robinson, Director of the Zoo for 16 years, 

 stepped down on May 1. He came to the Smithsonian in 1965 

 where he worked as a biologist at the Smithsonian Tropical 

 Research Institute in Panama. There, he rose to deputy direc- 

 tor and then acting director before he came to Washington in 

 May 1984 to become the director of the National Zoo. 



Robinson departed from the concept of the traditional zoo 

 by creating what he called the "biopark." He hoped to elimi- 

 nate barriers between zoos, aquariums, botanical gardens, 

 and natural history museums. During his tenure, he was 

 instrumental in developing permanent exhibits, such as 

 Amazonia, Invertebrates, and American Prairie, that empha- 

 sized the relationship among living organisms and the 

 potential of humans to influence nature. In addition to the 

 typical animals exhibited at zoos, these new exhibits in- 

 cluded insects and other invertebrates, fish, and plants. The 

 exhibits also reflect Robinson's lifelong interest in scientific 

 inquiry and sharing the work of scientists with the public. 

 Robinson also oversaw the renovation of Olmsted Walk, 

 the pathway that links the Zoo's exhibit areas. Robinson 

 believes, "Zoos are powerful forces of biological education, 



