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Dr. Neil Harris, Professor of History at the University of Chicago, deserves special recognition because of his distinguished and unstinting service to the Smithsonian as chair and as a member of the Smithsonian Council. Professor Harris joined the Council in 1978 and became its second chair in 1985. His term as chair expires at the end of calendar year 1991. Professor Harris's contributions to the Institution have led the Secretary to propose him for the Henry Medal award.

The Secretary, with the approval of the Board of Regents, established the Smithsonian Council on January 27, 1966. The Council consists of twenty-five members selected by the Secretary for distinguished attainments in the learned disciplines and in other fields. Its purpose is to advise the Secretary on programmatic endeavors and to provide guidance on the progress of research and public education within the Smithsonian. 

The Council has considered one hundred and twenty-six topics since 1966. Subjects have ranged from anthropology, history and the arts to astrophysics, geology and systematic biology, as well as a series of program reviews of Smithsonian museums, galleries, and research centers. The Council's advice has been of great value; its wide ranging and penetrating inquiry make a unique and crucial contribution to the Smithsonian. The worth of its recommendations over the years is evident from the fact that virtually all of its suggestions have been acted upon over time. The Council's contributions have included a role in the establishment of Smithsonian fellowship programs and steps leading to formation of the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars in the 1960s, a renewed focus upon collections acquisition and inventory in the 1970s, and more recently, American Indian programs, as well as issues regarding research, education and multiculturalism.

The Council's level of achievement and value stems in several ways from Professor Harris's efforts and example. As chair since 1985, he has kept a clear view of the Council's proper functions as an advisory group and how its potential, and the talents of its knowledgeable members, can be fostered to sustain and enlarge upon the Council's long-standing record of thoughtful, pointed and sometimes recurring counsel on subjects of singular importance to the Institution. Professor Harris's judicious and subtle moderation of Council sessions, his stimulation and respect for his fellow Councilors, and his dealings with staff have been exemplary. Under his stewardship, the Council has been carried forward as an engaged and willing group of distinguished representatives who give of their time not only for the Council, but also for service on various Smithsonian boards, commissions, special review groups, and as individual advisors on an ad hoc basis. His contributions as the Council's chair are rounded out by his masterful summaries of Council proceedings that set a high standard for clarity and cogency, touching, as they do, with unerring skill upon the substance and the nuances of every issue. Finally, there are his individual contributions as a member since 1978. His willing and distinguished service on a variety of ad hoc groups, review panels, and as an individual advisor add further dimensions to his contributions. 

In recognition of these most significant contributions to the Smithsonian, it is proposed that the Board of Regents award to Neil Harris the