Safe Harbor for an Old Friend
by CP Staff
December 11 – Last Wednesday, Eleanor McMillan met an old friend at the National Museum of American History in Washington, D.C. It was occasion for them to say goodbye, after a long acquaintance.
Her father had introduced the pair four decades ago, in the closing months of 1964. Eleanor was in need of a good friend at the time, because she was recovering from a car accident. As it turned out, the two got along famously. They travelled to work together. In the summer they'd take day trips and, once, even a vacation to the coast.
Those were different times. Eleanor was building a career at the Smithsonian Institute. As a conservator, she specialized in paper: letters, documents, books and the like. Eleanor's family ties to Washington were unavoidable - her great grandfather was Teddy Roosevelt. One can imagine tireless workdays at the museum followed by carefree, gentrified diversions on a summer's weekend.
They were also exciting times, perhaps blissfully ignorant of more challenging, darker times ahead. Unavoidably, over a decade or more, their friendship cooled and became utilitarian. As is common, others got involved, sucessfully vying for Eleanor's daily attentions. Work and family made their demands and the two, once inseparable, saw each other less and less.
Eleanor's career blossomed, becoming a Conservator Emeritus at the Smithsonian Conservation Analytical Laboratory. Her contribution and tutelage were renowned worldwide. At some point, scarcely noticed or remarkable, the two friends separated. On a late night perhaps, when the winter snow makes everything go quiet; when there's nothing worth watching on TV and the latest book is finished; doubtless Eleanor might have thought back to The Sixties and smiled contentedly at a memory or two they had made together.
More than a decade passed without reunion. Eleanor's retirement from the museum signaled newfound freedom and, certainly, time to address past regrets. Arrangements were made. The two would get together once more, meeting on the first floor at 14th Street and Constitution Avenue N.W. – the National Museum of American History. Some other friends would join them as well.
The time that had passed demanded its due, but both would have recognized each other immediately. The years had certainly been harsher on others. The meeting likely was awkward at first, but a few kind words would reestablish the bond. The allotted time must have flown, leaving only the opportunity for a quick kiss before parting. Certainly, Eleanor would have left with confidence, knowing that her friend was to be well cared for in the future.
In the end, Eleanor McMillan transferred ownership of her 1965 Mustang coupe to the museum. Director Brent Glass and Road Transportation Specialist Roger White were there to welcome it to the transportation collections of the Smithsonian.
The vintage Mustang becomes the latest addition to more than seventy automobiles in the American History collection, many of which are on display in the museum's permanent exhibition "America on the Move," which opened in November 2003.
|
