Ellen returns to Smithsonian on her birthday
This week on December 3 is Ellen Swallow Richards’ birthday. All across the country family and consumer sciences professionals and their friends will be celebrating the birth 167 years ago of this remarkable woman who founded home economics. Today we enjoy a much greater quality of life for our families and our communities because Ellen walked here on earth. We enjoy clean water, unadulterated foods and much more. In April you will remember we visited the newly renovated Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History. We were stunned to arrive in the West wing and actually see the Vassar telescope that famous astronomer Maria Mitchell used over a century ago. This treasure has belonged to the museum since 1963 and now welcomes visitors to the science exhibit. Ellen was a student of Maria Mitchell’s at Vassar and was also in love with astronomy. In fact, Ellen herself said she would have gone into astronomy as a field of study if only she had seen a practical use and a benefit to society. The equipment is just gorgeous, and we stood in awe at the significance of having this historical artifact on view for all to see.
The telescope nearly trumped the Ellen Richards’ exhibit which we found just inside the Science in American Life exhibition. However, we were excited to arrive in front of a nearly life sized display of Ellen. Of all the displays that could have been featured in this recently opened museum, we were delighted to see that Ellen was deemed important enough to carry over from a previous display. In celebration of March as National Women’s History Month, President Obama proclaimed Ellen as one of four women credited with saving our planet with her focus on the environment.
At 1:00 on Thursday, December 3, Joyce (in costume) will be standing near the Ellen exhibit on the Museum’s first floor, reading selected writings, diary entries and Ellen’s letters. Our hope is that this little added extra to the exhibit on her birthday will remind museum visitors what a remarkable life this women led and how our lives today have been impacted by her work over 100 years ago.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY, ELLEN