A: the spring annual meecing of the Smithsonian Cor- 

 porate Membership Program, the topic was "How Leaders 

 Collaborate to Create Positive Change in the Next Century." 

 Speakers at the event included Sir Colin Marshall, chairman 

 of British Airways, and Dr. Robert Woodall, vice president 

 for environmental policy of The Southern Company. 



The Smithsonian Luncheon Group organized a highly suc- 

 cessful campaign during fiscal year 1996 to create the Smith- 

 sonian Luncheon Group Endowment in honor of the 

 Institution's 150th Anniversary. Led by Chair Lee M. Folger 

 and a committee of other dedicated volunteers, the members 

 raised $127,000 for the Endowment. 



At the 1996 Benefactors' Circle dinner, Samuel Johnson was 

 paid tribute by Smithsonian Regent Wesley Williams and 

 honored for his distinguished record of contributions and 

 volunteer leadership to the Smithsonian. In addition, Norman 

 Mineta presented the Joseph Henry Medal to Sidney Yates for 

 his service through the years. 



In honor of Kathrine Folger, the Folger family endowed the 

 garden adjacent to the Smithsonian Castle. 



Upon the passing of their friend in 1996, many individuals 

 made memorial gifts to the Mary Livingston Ripley Garden 

 Endowment which provides long-term maintenance for the 

 garden named after the founder of the Smithsonian Women's 

 Committee and wife of Secretary Emeritus S. Dillon Ripley. 



Smithsonian National Board 



Jean Bronson Kilborne, Chair 



Clive Runnells, Vice Chair 



The Smithsonian National Board, comprised of over 70 cur- 

 rent and honorary members, is a cornerstone of the 

 Smithsonian's partnership with the private sector. Members 

 work as advocates and advisers to the Smithsonian and lend 

 their support as fundraisers and personal donors. During the 

 150th Anniversary Celebration, members of the Board 

 provided the Smithsonian with valuable contacts in the 

 philanthropic and business communities, a key to the success 

 of 150th Anniversary activities nationwide. 



In fiscal year 1996, Board members contributed nearly 

 $660,000 in annual support to the Institution. Over 

 $300,000 of the Board Annual Giving Fund went to support 

 programs and outreach activities for the 150th Anniversary 

 Celebration. The remaining funds were directed to specific 

 museums and projects around the Institution. 



Smithsonian 'Women's Committee 



Mrs. Donald W. Jeffries, Chair 



The Smithsonian Women's Committee serves as an ongoing 

 source of support for a variety of Institutional programs 

 through volunteer fund-raising and public relation services. 

 In 1996, the Committee voted to fund 26 pro|ects in the 

 amount of $253,631 at 13 Smithsonian museums and offices. 



The Smithsonian Women's Committee members — 56 ac- 

 tive, 63 resource, and 48 sustaining — logged 11,000 volunteer 

 hours during 1996. The majority of these hours were dedi- 

 cated to organizing and staging the very successful Smith- 

 sonian Craft Show, April 23-26, at the National Building 

 Museum. Featuring museum-qualiry crafts from around the 

 world, the show raised a record-breaking $310,000 in 1996, to 

 be awarded in grants for various high-priority Smithson- 

 lanprojecrs. In honor of the Smithsonian's 150th anniversary, 

 the Committee designed and produced a commemotative 

 Smithsonian scarf. 



The John F. Kennedy Center for the 

 Performing Arts 



James A. Johnson, Chairman 

 LaivrenceJ. Wilker, President 



The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing celebrated its 

 25th Anniversary Season in 1995—96, marking a quarter-cen- 

 tury of presenting the finest performances of music, theater, 

 and dance from this nation and abroad; nurturing new works 

 and supporting artists through active producing, commission- 

 ing, and ttaining programs in a variety of disciplines; and 

 serving the nation as a leader in arcs education. The Kennedy 

 Center's six theaters host performances that attract nearly 2 

 million parrons annually; the annual telecast of the Kennedy 

 Center Honors and other broadcasts reach many millions of 

 people across the country; and the Center reaches out to the 

 nation with touring productions and performances presented 

 in venues around the Washington area. 



The Kennedy Centet welcomed new Chairman James A. 

 Johnson in May 1996. Alma Gildenhorn and James H. Evans 

 had served as co-Chairs through much of the 1995-96 season. 

 In lace April, the Kennedy Center celebrated ics firsc quarter- 

 century wich a 25th Anniversary Gala, an all-star benefit perfor- 

 mance chat was celecasc on PBS stations nationwide beginning in 

 the summer of 1996. The Center also celebraced wich a free 25ch 

 Birthday Open House Arts Festival on the actual anniversary of 

 the building's opening on September 8, 1971. Attendance at che 

 Open House was estimated at 50,000 people, placing it among 

 the most successful festivals in the Center's history. 



The National Symphony Orchestra launched a new era or 

 its own with the arrival of Leonard Slatkin as its new Music 

 Director. The Orchestra commissioned new works trom 

 American composers Claude Baker and Ron Nelson to 

 celebrate the Kennedy Center's anniversary and to herald 

 Slatkin's arrival in Washington. The NSO's fourth American 

 Residency cook Orchescra members to Montana and Wyom- 

 ing for 10 days of performances, master classes, and educa- 

 tional activities. 



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