OVS celebrates 50 years of service

During my 7.5 years as a Castle VIS volunteer, I’ve had the chance to meet, interact with, inform, and learn from countless fascinating people from across the US and many foreign countries. There have been many outstanding memories, and here’s one that I want to share. While talking with a man who was viewing American History artifacts in that museum’s Commons display case, he told me that he studied America’s industrial history, especially early inventions. And then he told me that a time machine had actually been invented, but not by Americans. (We volunteers sometimes encounter “quirky” visitors, and we’ve learned how to politely accept them and then move on to another group of visitors.) But then he said he wanted to explain his statement: he said that books are a time machine – they can take us into the past and illuminate it for us, or they can propel us into the future, and help to open our imaginations to things that may occur at some future date. I’d never thought of it before, but upon reflection, I had to agree with him, and I’ve shared his perspective with other visitors, friends, and family ever since.
– Stephen Leeds, VIS Volunteer

Because I worked at VIARC/OVS for so many years, it’s difficult for me to single out just one happy memory. What I can say is that my relationships with the volunteers was the most fulfilling aspect of my entire professional career. I had the privilege of working with so many different peopl​​​​​​​e. The one thing we shared was our love for the Smithsonian. I will always be grateful for the opportunity to work at VIARC/OVS, the Smithsonian, and I cherish the time spent with each and every volunteer.​
​​​​​​ – Bill Blandy, OVS/VIARC Alumni

I have been an OVS volunteer for 38 years and have very many fond memories of my years with VIARC/OVS. I was employed by VIARC during three summers off from teaching so I was also able to work with the many wonderful staff members. When I am preparing for my trip into D.C. for Information Desk duty, I often think of Mary Grace Potter and her dress code for Castle volunteers. We were required to wear dresses/skirts and not allowed to wear slacks except when wearing a matching pantsuit. No “touristy” t-shirts, sweatshirts, tennis shoes, or any type of sportswear. We questioned the reasoning for not wearing tennis shoes since most of us walked a short distance to reach our assigned desks and the visitors could not see our feet and were told they were not dressy enough. Sweaters/jackets should match our dresses. I wonder what reactions would occur if such a dress code were imposed in current times!!!
– Rose Dunn, VIS Volunteer

Happy birthday OVS! Over the years, I have had the pleasure of working within so many areas of VIARC/OVS. From managing information desks, to answering public emails and calls; from leading the docent program and giving Castle tours to training our incredible Visitor Information Specialist volunteers as they joined the program, I, to this day enjoy the privilege of working with some of the most dedicated and extraordinary staff and volunteers I have ever met. I remember the thrill of being hired to join the Smithsonian team. I know that I could not have found a better home than I have with VIARC/OVS. – Michael Rubin, OVS Staff

Bev Reusser and I became good friends behind the Castle information desk, where we were placed together as partners. 

One day while sharing stories of our love for Italy Bev said, “We should go to Italy”. I replied, “Lets!” And so we did. Because of Bev’s previous employment with American Airlines my round-trip ticket was $425! During our week we visited familiar sights in Rome and then took a train to Orvieto, a beautiful mountain town. While sitting there in an old Cathedral, listening to the organist, I asked Bev, “What is that hymn?” Bev replied, “That’s Frank Sinatra’s I Did It My Way.” Here at home, we enjoyed lunches, dinners, and a winery visit before Bev became ill. Rest in peace dear friend. 
– Sherrill Taylor, VIS Volunteer 

Before there was Google to answer questions there were reference librarians, encyclopedias, and the Smithsonian’s Telephone Information Service (TIS), a part of VIARC. One of the fun parts of my job as Coordinator of TIS for twenty years was to answer the public’s calls. Most calls were about SI-related questions. But every day we also received calls about other questions such as: Where do you store the Civil War planes? Do you have the original Bible (or the tablets of the Ten Commandments)? What should I put in my iguana’s cage to calm him on the flight to California? What should I give the bear I’ve been feeding from my cabin porch? He’s getting bigger and seems to want more than Rice Krispies.

Every month in my Monthly Report to Mary Grace Potter, VIARC Director, I tallied call statistics, volunteer information, heavy phone traffic, and other SI-related information, but I also wrote a column called “Weird Calls” about the off-the-wall requests or questions we had received at Phones. Mary Grace confessed to me that that was the first part of my Monthly Report she read when I turned in my Monthly Report.

Now, Google and related search engines can answer many of those questions, but I still miss the communication with people about their questions. Google may answer the 6 year old’s question about whether you really, really have to wear shoes to go in the Natural History Museum, but the reasoning for a 6-year old as to why you must put on your shoes is lacking in a Google response.”
– Cordelia Benedict, VIARC Alumni

One of my favorite memories from working in VIARC was the Presidential Inauguration in 2009. VIARC employees skipped their normal duties to help at each of the museums. Knowing that it would be really hard to get into the city, I slept in my office the night before. That night and in the early morning hours as I lay on the sofa in my office, I could hear shouts of excitement, “Obama’s in the house!” And other things like that. People were so excited. The mall got really crowded very early in the morning. It was hard to make it across from the Castle to the American History Museum where I would be working because there were so many people already there. During the inauguration I was inside the museum working. But, it was still so exciting to be part of it. Participating in history. It was freezing cold outside. People who were there to watch the inauguration often came in to warm up. There were so many sitting on the floor leaning against the wall, all along the walls. I never thought I would get to be part of something like this. It is a favorite memory of mine that I love sharing with people.
– Lori Wood, VIARC Alumni

I remember…

Seeing the Tibetan monks painting a sand mandala in the floor of the Great Hall (part of a Sackler exhibit or program)

When Tibet was featured in the Folklife Festival, seeing the joy on the faces of the participants when the Dalaï Lama visited each booth.

Staying overnight on the floor of my Castle office the night before Barack Obama’s first inauguration. And serving the visitors the next day with the entirety of the wonderful VIARC staff and multiple intrepid volunteers working the information desks. My favorite memory of that time is speaking with an African American man in the Great Hall who had brought his infant twins to the event so they could later say they’d been there.

Seeing Robin Williams and Ben Stiller in the Great Hall who were starring in the first « Night at Smithsonian » film. And working around the crew’s cables and lights that were placed in our offices looking out into the Mall!

Meeting with Chinese Olympic Committee members who were interested in establishing a volunteer corps to work the 2008 Beijing Olympics. VIARC was known nationally and internationally for its expertise in volunteer program management.

And, finally, working with the nearly 2000 volunteers who fell under the VIARC aegis and made our lives and the Smithsonian experience better every day.

– Katherine Neill Ridgley, former director of VIARC