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About the Author
Bill Craig became fascinated with the Smithsonian Institution on his
first visit to Washington in 1949. Years later, after starting a
career
in journalism, he fulfilled his ambition to work at the Institution,
doing a wide range of editorial and public information work. His six
years on the staff were full of surprises and unusual experiences. He
recalls the time he climbed up a tower in the Smithsonian's "castle"
headquarters, attired in coat and tie, past bird droppings and dead
mice, to help feed a family of owls that had been introduced there to
give a historic touch to the building. He also claims to have "seen"
the Smithsonian's founder, James Smithson, who died in 1829. Bill
explains that he was a witness when Smithson's remains were examined
by a scientist in 1973 before they were resealed in the tomb at the
Institution where they had lain since they were returned from Europe
in 1904. After retiring from the federal government in 1990, Bill
returned to do contract and volunteer work at the Institution,
resulting in this book. Since he came to Washington from Missouri in
1958 he has lived across the Potomac River in Arlington, Virginia,
where he and wife raised their three sons.
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