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[[preprinted]] THE UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO
DEPARTMENT OF HISTORY
1126 EAST 59TH STREET
CHICAGO . ILLINOIS 60637
U.S.A. [[/preprinted]]

November 20, 1985

Mr. Robert McC. Adams, Secretary
Smithsonian Institution
Washington, D.C. 20560

Dear Bob:

This letter reflects the meeting of the Smithsonian Council in Washington, October 18-20, 1985.

[[underlined]] Friday, October 18th: [[/underlined]]
The Council spent a long and stimulating Friday at the National Zoo.  The day began at 8:30 a.m. with instructive tours of the research and veterinary areas, led by Michael Robinson, Director, Devra Kleiman, Assistant Director for Research, Richard Montali, Pathologist-in-Charge, and a group of staff members and research fellows.  After our tour we adjourned for a statement by Director Robinson, and a brief discussion of the philosophical bases upon which the Zoo is conducted.  In the afternoon, along with some lunchtime touring of exhibition facilities, a more extensive discussion focussed on the various research and public programs at the Zoo, and on trends and future directions.

The forthcoming construction of a new hospital building is clearly needed.  And so is the renovation of the current research hospital building, to be used afterward entirely for research purposes.  Staff noted their needs for a sustained program of renewal and renovation of the exhibit facilities, as well as their interest in a building maintenance program for the Front Royal Conservation and Research Center (along with a desire to refurbish the dormitory facilities).

The research program in the National Zoo is notable in this country for its breadth and quality.  It was a pleasure for the Council to find these standards being maintained.  Additional research positions do seem in order to provide continuity for what is now largely a soft money operation and a transient population of research fellows.  Nonetheless, fellowship support, already a product of considerable staff initiative, needs further amplification, both in number and size of awards.  In the face of practical problems which are present in any applied research concerned with the maintenance and propagation of animals, it is necessary to keep such research [[/underlined]] balanced [[underlined]]