Tom D. Crouch\, a Smithsonian veteran of a lmost 45 years\, paints a robust picture of a unique American establishmen t and its lasting legacies in his book \;Smithson&rsquo\;s Gamble.
\nFollow the fascinating growth and development of the world's largest museum and research complex during its first 60 years. Told in rich detail \, \;Smithson's Gamble \;reveals how\, as it defined a role rooted in curiosity and exploration\, the Smithsonian helped to shape the nation 's developing identity.
\nThe Smithsonian evolved from a small\, nar rowly focused organization into an institution leading the way in fields f rom astrophysics to zoology. Smithsonian researchers\, and the hundreds of citizen scientists who they recruited\, created a collection that documen ted the natural and human history of a continent. The American conservatio n movement and a national weather service are rooted at the Smithsonian.&n bsp\;Smithson's Gamble \;is filled with fascinating characters\, twist s and turns\, and moments of triumph and tragedy\, complete with political machinations\, a bit of backstabbing\, accusations of murder\, and the oc casional scandal.
\n\n\nAbout t he Author: \;Tom Crouch joined the Smithsonian in 1974 and has served both the National Air and Space Museum and the National Museum of American History in a variety of curatorial and administrative posts. \; \ ; \; \; \; \; \; \; \; \; \; \;&nb sp\; \; \; \; \;
\nDr. Crouch has won several major writing awards\, including a 1989 Christopher Award\, a literary prize rec ognizing "significant artistic achievement in support of the highest value s of the human spirit\," for \;The Bishop's Boys: A Life of Wilbur and Orville Wright. His book\, \;Wings: A History of Aviation From Kites to the Space Age\, won the AIAA Gardner-Lasser Literature Prize for 2005.< /p>\n
In the fall of 2000\, President Clinton appointed Dr. Crouch to th e Chairmanship of the First Flight Centennial Federal Advisory Board\, an organization created to advise the Centennial of Flight Commission on acti vities planned to commemorate the 100th anniversary of powered flight.
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