RESOLVED, That it is the sense of the Advisory Board that no consideration will be given to the national significance of the contribution performed by an individual for at least 25 years after the death of such person. Such a policy has been adopted to insure the proper historical perspective regarding the effect of such contribution upon our national heritage. The Commission felt that this Resolution was a good precautionary measure. However, in the case of the Memorial to Miss Rittenhouse, it involved only a sundial, to be given by her friends, and placed in Montrose Park. The Commission interposed no objection to the enactment of S.J. Res. 37, and Senator Jenner was informed accordingly. The Act of Congress on the subject reads as follows: PUBLIC LAW 152-83D CONGRESS CHAPTER 244-1ST SESSION S.J. RES. 37 JOINT RESOLUTION All 67 Stat. 196. To authorize the erection of a memorial to Sara Louisa Rittenhouse in Montrose Park, District of Colum bia Resolved by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, That the Secretary of the Interior is authorized and directed to grant to the Georgetown Garden Club permission to erect in Montrose Park, in the District of Columbia, an appropriate memorial to the memory of Sara Louisa Rittenhouse. SEC. 2. The site for the memorial shall be approved by the Secretary of the Interior and the National Capital Planning Commission. The design of the memorial, its adequacy and propriety for the site designated, the inscription on the memorial, and the plan for the treatment of the grounds connected with the site shall be approved by the Commission of Fine Arts, the Secretary of the Interior, and the National Capital Planning Commission. The memorial shall be erected and its site landscaped under the supervision of the Secretary of the Interior. SEC. 3. All funds necessary to carry out the erection of the memorial and the landscaping of its site shall be certified available to the Secretary of the Interior by the Georgetown Garden Club in time to permit the completion of such work within not more than four years after the exact site has been determined; and the United States shall be put to no expense in or by the erection of said memorial and the landscaping of its site. Approved July 27, 1953. SCULPTURE FOR THE NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF HEALTH BUILDING At a meeting of the Commission of Fine Arts, held on November 21, 1950, Mr. deWeldon, sculptor member of the Commission reported that on October 16th, he and Mr. Biddle inspected and approved the models by Vincent Glinsky, sculptor, of New York City, for sculpture in the National Institute of Health Building, Bethesda, Md. The panels will be cast in aluminum in low relief, and will be mounted, four panels on each side of a hall. The Commission concurred in Mr. de Weldon and Mr. Biddle's action. Photographs of the models were also presented by the Public Buildings Administration at the meeting. The panels will represent portraits of leaders in medicine and science such as Major Reed, physician, Marie Curie, physicist, Roentgen, discoverer of the X-ray. CHAPTER SIX ☆ Coins, Medals, and Insignia MEMORIAL PLAQUE FOR THE DEPARTMENT OF THE U INTERIOR 'NDER date of February 9, 1949, a letter was received from the Memorial Committee of the Department of the Interior, requesting the advice of the Commission of Fine Arts regarding the design and placement of memorial plaques in honor of Interior Department employees who died in World War I and prior wars; and 154 employees who died in World War II. The Committee proposed placing the names on tablets of stone on the cheeks of the building flanking the C Street entrance. Potted plants and concealed illumination at the bottom were features of the design. The project was considered at a meeting of the Commission held on February 11, 1949. The Commission agreed that it would mar the entrance to the building to have the tablets erected as proposed. The idea of the flower receptacles and concealed illumination was not favored. The submitted design was, therefore, disapproved. The Commission recommended instead the use of four panels in the lobby of the C Street entrance. The Memorial Committee adopted the suggestion of the Commission and the panels were installed accordingly. NATIONAL CAPITAL SESQUICENTENNIAL COMMISSION MEDAL At a meeting of the Commission of Fine Arts held on January 6, 1950, the Commission approved models for the obverse and reverse of the National Capital Sesquicentennial Commission medal, by Thomas Hudson Jones, sculptor. The obverse portrayed the Statue of Freedom on the Dome of the United States Capitol, and the reverse portrayed a scene showing President John Adams opening the first session of Congress in the District of Columbia, on November 22, 1800. MEDAL FOR HUMANE ACTION Under date of October 5, 1949, the following letter was received from the office of the Quartermaster General, Department of the Army: 5 October, 1949. COMMISSION OF FINE ARTS, Room 7000 New Interior Department Building, GENTLEMEN: In accordance with the provisions of Executive Order No. 3524, 28 July 1921, there are forwarded herewith photographic reproductions of the obverse and reverse of sketch plaster models of the proposed Medal for Humane Action, prepared by Mr. Thomas H. Jones, and an illustration of the ribbon design, which have met with the concurrence of an informal committee of the Departments of the Navy, Air Force, and Army. The obverse of the medal consists of a wreath of wheat (staff of life) with the coat of arms of the City of Berlin in the lower junction of the wreath, with the G-54 in plain view in the upper portion of the medal. The reverse consists of the central element of the seal of the Department of Defense below the inscription "For Humane Action" and above the words "To supply Necessities of Life to the People of Berlin, Germany." The ribbon consists of the colors appearing in the coat of arms of the City of Berlin-red, white and black-in addition to the blue for the field of action (the sky) over the City of Berlin. The colors red, white, and blue are also those of the United States. In view of the desire to get this medal under procurement, it is requested that your advice as to the merits of this design be furnished. Your cooperation is appreciated. Very truly yours, V. J. MACLAUGHLIN, Lieut. Col., Q.M.C., W. H. MIDDLESWART, Major General, Q.M.C., Chief, Military Planning Division. page 63 The sketch models were referred to Mr. Lee Lawrie, sculptor member of the Commission of Fine Arts, and following his recommendation the Commission approved them. A suggestion was made that the wheat be made to look more like wheat and less like laurel. The Commission made no comment regarding the ribbon. BOOKER T. WASHINGTON AND GEORGE CARVER Under date of October 5, 1951, the following letter was received from Mr. S. J. Phillips, President of the Booker T. Washington Birthplace Memorial: The enclosed preliminary sketches showing obverse and reverse sides of the contemplated George Washington Carver and Booker T. Washington Commemorative half-dollar are sent for your scrutiny and opinions, prior to final work on completed drawings. An alternate set of sketches is now in preparation and will be forwarded to you as soon as they are completed. With many thanks for your cooperation and interest in our work, I am The designs were referred to Mr. de Weldon, sculptor member of the Commission, for comment. He advised submitting a revised design. The Secretary stated that the Director of the Mint would expect the Commission of Fine Arts to approve the model before proceeding with minting the coin. The Commission concurred in the recommendation of Mr. de Weldon, and it was embodied in a report to Mr. Phillips, accordingly, pursuant to a meeting of the Commission of Fine Arts on October 25, 1951: The Commission feels that the general design of the George Washington Carver and Booker T. Washington Commemorative half-dollar is appropriate. However, the second head should also be modeled in clear profile and not only three-quarters. The spacing of the lettering should also be improved, allowing some space between the heads and the lettering. Before remodeling this coin, new drawings should be submitted to the Commission for approval. At a meeting of the Commission of Fine Arts held on November 29, 1951, Mr. de Weldon reported that models made by Isaac Hathaway, sculptor, of Montgomery, Ala., for the obverse and the reverse of the coin had been submitted to him in November, and that he had approved them. The Commission ratified Mr. de Weldon's action. The obverse of the coin shows the heads of Booker T. Washington and George Carver, and the reverse a map of the United States. |