Francine Berkowitz was interviewed by Pilar Somma on June 27, 1996. She came to work at the Smithsonian in 1965 as a roving typist, working mainly in the Office of the Registrar. From there she was transferred to the International Activities Office and worked on the Smithsonian Special Foreign Currency Program, which was later reorganized in the Office of Fellowships and Grants. She is now the Director of the Office of International Relations (OIR). This interview discusses Berkowitz's duties and the broadening of her responsibilities as she worked at the Smithsonian, her current responsibilities, the steps she takes to ensure foreign research, foreign dignitaries she has met, the speed with which her office works, the database which OIR uses, disasters and problems she has encountered, changes at the Smithsonian, the Enola Gay exhibit controversy, and her opinions on recent Smithsonian exhibits. The interview continues with Berkowitz's impressions of the Smithsonian before working here, how she got her job, her unusual promotions, the Smithsonian's former policies which favored employees with Ph.D. degrees, being a woman and working at the Smithsonian, her favorite museums and exhibits, and her memories of the Folklife Festivals. Berkowitz includes many reminiscences, including a story about President Johnson, and mentions colleagues Helena Weiss, Dr. Bob Hoffman, Ralph Rinzler, Jeffrey LaRiche?, Richard Kurin, and Mary Ann Sedillo.

Object Details

See more items in: Smithsonian Memories Project, Festival of American Folklife Oral History Interviews; Smithsonian Memories Project, Festival of American Folklife Oral History Interviews / Interviews

Collection Citation: Smithsonian Institution Archives, Record Unit 9594, Smithsonian Memories Project, Festival of American Folklife Oral History Interviews