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[[underline]] Award of James Smithson Medal [[/underline]]

In commemoration of the visit of Pope John Paul II to the United States and his visit to the Smithsonian Institution, the Secretary proposed that the Pope be presented the James Smithson Medal. This medal was established in memory of the founder of the Institution and is reserved for recognition of the most outstanding achievements. It has been presented only four times, the most recent of which was to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II on the occasion of her visit to the United States at the Bicentennial of the United States. The presentation would be most appropriate in a private ceremony in the parlor adjacent to the Secretary's office. The Regents agreed that the Chancellor should represent them in the presentation.

In anticipation of this event, and in keeping with the policy which requires the approval of the Board of Regents for the award of the James Smithson Medal the following motion was approved:

VOTED that the Board of Regents approves the presentation of the James Smithson Medal to His Holiness Pope John Paul II on his visit to the United States of America in October 1979, and requests that the Chancellor make the presentation.

Note: The Chancellor and Judge HIgginbotham abstained from the foregoing discussion and vote.

The Secretary summarized the following report on plans for the Papal visit:

As the Regents may know, the Pope will offer a Mass on the Mall on Sunday, October 7, at approximately 3:00 p.m. to last about three hours. An altar will be erected by the Archdiocese of Washington in front of the Smithsonian Castle Building. It is expected that one million persons will