MUSEUM THANKS DOCENTS AND VOLUNTEERS WITH ANNUAL FIELD TRIP
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The National Museum of Health and Medicine thanked its docents and other volunteers by taking them on a field trip to the National Air and Space Museum's Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center (UHC) in Chantilly, Va.

Adrianne Noe, Ph.D., museum director, greeted the docents and volunteers before they departed, and thanked them for their continued service and dedication to providing public tours and helping in the behind-the-scenes operations of the museum.

After a short bus ride to Virginia, nine docents, one volunteer, and three staff members received a guided tour of UHC's public display area, which documents the history of aviation through the exhibition of nearly 200 aircrafts, a selection of flight memorabilia, and other artifacts.

In addition to seeing airplanes from the Cold War and a helicopter used during the Vietnam War, the docents and volunteer were able to get close-up views of the space shuttle Enterprise, sister ship to the Columbia, which crashed in 2003; the fully-renovated Enola Gay, the U.S. airplane that dropped the atomic bomb on Japan in 1945; the supersonic Concorde; and the first airplane ever used by Federal Express.

Located in a renovated 760,057-square-foot airplane hangar adjacent to Washington Dulles International Airport, UHC opened in 2003 as an extension of the Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum (NASM), which has been located on the National Mall since 1976. The new facility, made possible by a $60 million donation made by Hungarian native Steven F. Udvar-Hazy, allows NASM to display nearly 80 percent of its collection in its two locations.

NASM has the largest collection of aviation artifacts in the world. The collection began in 1876 and continues to expand each year. Because its original location in downtown Washington limited the number of artifacts that could be placed on display at one time, the construction of UHC "now allows visitors to see things that could not be exhibited before," according to NASM docent Theodore Kornreich. He added that while NASM receives approximately 9 million visitors a year at its downtown location, UHC expects that it will receive about 3 million.

The 1½-hour tour was followed by a lunch at Copeland's restaurant in Centerville, Va., where Janet Melson Burns, the museum's public programs chief, individually recognized each volunteer's accomplishments and years of service.

"As always, this year's annual docent and volunteer field trip was a rewarding experience," said Burns. "The museum relies so heavily on its docents, who make public tours possible by donating their time, and on its other volunteers, who help with administrative issues important to public programming and collections. Although we really can't thank them enough for their selfless service, this trip is at least a small gesture that shows our gratitude."

Docents in attendance included: Edward Byrdy, M.D., of Silver Spring, Md., who received recognition for 5 years of service; Marjorie Hughes, M.D., of Arlington, Va., a 4-year docent who was honored for the second consecutive year for having logged the most hours of tours; Kay McMahon of Rockville, Md., a docent with 6 years of service; Carolyn Whittenberg of Silver Spring, Md., who has served as a docent for 6½ years; Gloria Feeney, a third-year docent from Washington, D.C.; Jim DePersis of Adelphi, Md., who has been a docent for 11 years; Shen Sung, M.D., of Gaithersburg, Md., who has been a docent for 4 years; Anne Pollin of Bethesda, Md., who has been a docent for 15 years and was a part of the first docent class at the museum; and Catherine Bonomo, an 8-year docent from Silver Spring, Md. Other attendees included Michael Mendelson of Silver Spring, Md., a public programs department volunteer that has served the museum for 2 years, Steven Solomon of Silver Spring, Md., the museum's public affairs officer, and Suzy Martin of Silver Spring, Md., the museum's public affairs assistant.

The docents and volunteers who were unable to join their colleagues on the trip are Regina Hunt of Rockville, Md., Marianna Jessee-Solfronk of Silver Spring, Md., Anthony Rondello of Waldof, Md., LeVerne Madancy of Annandale, Va., Stephen Schiaffino, Ph.D., of Silver Spring, Md., Richard Mullvaney, M.D., of McLean, Va., George Sharpe, M.D., of Silver Spring, Md., Albert Jacobs of Silver Spring, Md., Ira Green, M.D. of Bethesda, Md., Ed Beeman, M.D., of Bethesda, Md., and Christian Sepulveda of Rockville, Md.
All in attendance agreed that the trip was a success.

"We docents very seldom have the opportunity to sit down all at once and spend quality time together," said Byrdy. "It's nice to have the chance to do so. I think we all agree that the tour of the museum was fascinating. If only we had more time!"

Likewise, Hughes, who was "pleasantly surprised" that she has once again logged the most hours, found UHC "fascinating." She added that all of the museum's volunteers feel that their service is a rewarding experience.

"If we can spark the curiosity of one child or adult, then we've done our jobs," Hughes concluded. "Being a docent certainly doesn't feel like work. But it is so nice to be able to spend the day together and reflect on another year of service. That's an important part of making sure that the experience is positive for us."