Joseph H. McGuiness was interviewed by Brian LeMay on July 3, 1996. McGuiness, 32 years old, was born and raised in Iowa and attended the University of Wisconsin at Steven's Point. He interned at the Smithsonian in the Department of Botany during the summers of 1985 and 1986. McGuiness received his master's degree at Tennessee Tech University and is currently the North Zone Wildlife Biologist for the Cherokee National Forest in Tennessee. This interview discusses McGuiness's internship duties; Smithsonian staff members Mary Sangrey, George "Rusty" Russell, Debbie Dell, and Dr. Elbert Little; how his internship has served him in his career; how he got the internship; his experiences living in Washington, DC; his impressions of the Smithsonian; continuing connections with the Institution; the grass symposium and his and other interns' involvement with it; his memories of the Folklife Festivals; his opinions on the Iowa section of the 1996 Festival of American Folklife; his research andc areer development since the Smithsonian; and future research plans.

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