Would like to welcome everyone here to the installation of the 14th secretary of the smithsonian, lonnie bunche. People here are associated with the smithsonian in one form or another, work at the smithsonian or on a board so forth . Ok. How many came to the smithsonian as a child . Ok. How many think the smithsonian is the most unifying organization in washington . [laughter] ok. [applause] so, we can all use a little unification. The nationals do a pretty good job, but nothing, nothing is as good as the smithsonian. There is nobody that doesnt like the smithsonian. And that is true because of so much of the work all of you have done. Let me acknowledge the presence of our congressional regents who are here, senator lahey, congresswoman matsui. Thank you very much for coming. And let me acknowledge the presence of our regions and former regions who are here. Thank you for all you have done to make the smithsonian such a strong organization. I would like to acknowledge the presence of the Museum Directors and Research Directors as well. Thank you for everything you have done. I would like to thank all of you who are otherwise connected to the smithsonian, for coming to this important historic event. This has only happened 14 times in our countrys history. We have had 45 president s, but only 14 smithsonian secretaries. I will let you judge which is more important. [laughter] the most important people i would like to recognize in front of me are a few people some of you may not know. Two of them are the daughters of lonnie bunch. Could they stand up, the daughters of lonnie bunch . Could they stand up . [applause] thank you. Thank you. Thank you. And Lonnie Bunchs brother . [applause] and the most important person, Lonnie Bunchs mother. [applause] thank you very much. So we are all here today for an incredible event that all of us has waited for for some time, the installation of somebody we all love. You will hear more about him in a moment from steve case, my successor, and i hope all of you will feel that today was a very historic day for lots of reasons that will be apparent soon, and you will feel this is something well worth your time, to be here. Now i would like to have the , academic procession begin with the Smithsonian National honor guard. [silence in the room] [footsteps] david ok. I would like to thank our leaders of the various parts of the smithsonian for getting out their academic gowns. [laughter] if you have an academic gown, you usually only get to wear it to commencement. We wanted everybody to amortize their use. [laughter] so thank you for getting those out of your closets and wearing them. One final comment. I think Everybody Knows the smithsonian is a unique institution. It has essentially no people anywhere in the United States that dont like it, and people around the world love it. But think how close it came to never actually existing. As some of you may know, James Smithson died, and in his will he left money to the United States to create an institution for the increase and diffusion of knowledge, whatever that meant. And that is the conventional story, and that is true. But what was in his will was this. He left all of his money to his nephew, and only if his nephew did not have any children, would the money revert back to James Smithsons estate and then go to the United States for this institution. What is the likelihood that his nephew, who was in his 20s at the time, would never have children . Well, i think his nephew decided this institution was more important than his having children. [laughter] so he died with no children, ensuring this institution would be started and would prosper. So i want to thank James Smithson, and his nephew, [laughter] for making it possible for this institution to start. Thank you. [applause] please welcome senior curator from the smithsonian american art museum, dr. Eleanor harvey. [applause] dr. Harvey good afternoon. On behalf of the over 6000 Staff Members and equivalent numbers of volunteers and interns at the Smithsonian Institution, i offer you, secretary lonnie bunch, a warm greeting and our congratulations. Many of us know you, some of us quite well, and as such, we greeted the announcement of your appointment as the 14th secretary with enthusiasm and joy. It has been over 60 years since the smithsonian was officially led from within. You are one of us. Over the course of your distinguished career, you have been a curator, scholar, educator, administrator and a museum director. With your background in the humanities, you bring a different perspective to the leadership of the smithsonian, one that spans multiple disciplines and is reflected in the multifaceted mission of the National Museum of africanAmerican History and culture, a museum that brings together the arts, history, culture, and the sciences, a kind of microcosm of the breadth of the institution that you know now lead. It is that breath that defines James Smithsons otherwise nebulous desire for the increase and diffusion of knowledge. In your various roles here at the smithsonian, you have encountered all of us, from capital leadership to curators, Research Scientists and historians, to the men and women who protect of the collections, maintain the buildings and grounds, and the multitude of people who support every department in every location at every level. That provides you with a head start on grappling with the complexity of this organization. We hope that your years of experience at the National Museum of American History at the National Museum of africanAmerican History and culture will ease the inevitable learning curve associated with your new position as its secretary, because with our enthusiastic support for you comes high expectations. [laughter] the smithsonian is more than the sum of its parts. Separately, we are the Worlds Largest collection of museums, libraries and Research Centers. We have expanded dramatically from the institutions origins, but the concept of one smithsonian, a kind of E Pluribus Unum for the institution is still on the horizon. Together we have the capacity to harness our very strengths and provide an unparalleled opportunity to fulfill the smithsonians mandate. We stand at a moment where truth or expertise are sometimes questioned. The smithsonian exists to champion those qualities. To uphold our mission requires a shared commitment to use our reputation and resources to be a voice for knowledge, knowledge derived from firstclass research, groundbreaking publications, compelling exhibitions and robust outreach through our Educational Programs and our worldwide digital presence. We believe we are in good hands under your leadership, and look forward to your vision for the smithsonian. Thank you. [applause] host please welcome the vice chair of the smithsonian board of regents, mr. Steve case. [applause] steve good afternoon. I want to introduce one person. David rubenstein is awesome with his introductions, but he skipped on one this time, and it is an important one. Lonnie was getting squeamish in his seat. [laughter] i would like you to welcome somebody lonnie met 40 years ago, his wife, maria. [applause] im honored to serve as the next chair of this Great Institution, truly delighted to be part of the festivities as we officially install lonnie bunch as the 14th sec. Of the smithsonian. I look forward to working with secretary bunch to work on the smithsonians storied past while helping to usher in a more glorious future. As lonnie has said so well, it is all about balancing tradition and innovation. It starts with celebrating this institutions amazing history, particularly as we head to our 175th anniversary, and being appreciative of all that is amazing about the smithsonian. But it is also about dreaming of new possibilities for the smithsonian. Imagining an institution that can have greater reach, greater relevance, and greater impact. It is about envisioning a smithsonian that is more digital to reach more people in more places, more agile so we can experiment more frequently and get things done more quickly, and more collaborative, so we can live up to the promise of that great african proverb, if you want to go fast, you can go alone. But if you want to go far, you must go together. And together, create an institution where, just like this great nation, the whole can indeed be greater than the sum of its parts. A great example of these ideas coming together is the american womens initiative, uniting as one smithsonian to tell the often hidden stories of women who have played a pivotal role in our country and our world. As we think about the next chapter for the smithsonian, our aim is clear, we seek to move this Great Institution forward by creating a more virtual smithsonian, more entrepreneurial smithsonian and a more networked smithsonian. Some say this expensive vision for theive vision smithsonian is a tad unrealistic, suggesting it will be hard to move such a complex organization, with so Many Disparate parts and constituencies come into the future. But we will see about that. I am reminded just this week of the saga of the washington nationals. Just [laughter] just six month ago, the experts said the nats had a one point 5 chance of winning the world series. In other words, a 98. 5 chance they would lose, but they beat the odds and won, and tomorrow the city will celebrate the nats willing to stay in the the fight and achieve what most thought was unachievable. [applause] i am also reminded that when lonnie bunch set out to build a new museum, he had no money, no collection and no site. Most people said it was a fools errand indeed, the title of his book. But lonnie didnt listen to doubters, he assembled a coalition of the willing, believers, and moved forward, and that museum now sits proudly across the mall as a testament to the possibilities of the seemingly impossible. [applause] so the bottom line is this. There is no better person to help the smithsonian be more virtual, more agile, more collaborative, to lead the way forward and do the impossible, than lonnie bunch. Indeed, lonnie has the potential to be the most transformative secretary in the smithsonians 172year history. Lonnie knows and loves the smithsonian and is loved and trusted by the 7000 people that make up the smithsonian. He is the perfect leader to strike the right balance, as we seek to celebrate what next the smithsonian so special today, while we strive to lean into the future, creating the smithsonian of tomorrow. But much as i have a tough act to follow succeeding David Rubenstein as chair in january, lonnie has a tough act to follow as well, succeeding david skorton. David put the Strategic Plan in place, leading a 1. 9 billion dollar capital campaign, and strengthening leadership of the smithsonian, in part by insisting on more inclusive recruiting. David was a very strong advocate for lonnie to succeed him as secretary. The smithsonian board conducted a very wide search, talking to hundreds of people, but ultimately we landed were david predicted we would, selecting lonnie bunch as the next secretary. We were sorry to see david lead us but also grateful for his service to this event sony and in the country, and also thankful that he only moved across the mall. So we still get to see him from time to time, including this afternoon. So please join me in welcoming back the 13th secretary of the smithsonian, david j. Skorton. [applause] david speaking of a fools air errand, they told me i was supposed to talk about what it takes to make a secretary of the smithsonian. I feel silly, but i will tell you what i think anyway. The number one thing it takes to be secretary of the smithsonian is love. Love of learning, love of inquiry, love of the truth, love of staff, love of the willingness to look beyond what we think we know right now. It also takes humility. Folks, i hope you dont mind im really talking to lonnie here. Lonnie, the staff will keep you humble and if there are days when the staff doesnt get the job done, the regents will jump right in. [laughter] it also takes enormous curiosity. It takes unending, unslakable thirst for knowledge, and always wondering the answer to the next question. There is never a final answer to anything. There is only a slight journey a half a step to the next question. Courage is important. As was mentioned, we are in an age right now where there is some decrying of the facts and science and the truth. And lonnie, one of your many, many attributes for this job is that you have never shirked from finding the truth, sharing the truth and being motivated by the truth. Finally, i want to go back to the issue about love. As David Rubenstein said eloquently, as he always does about everything, the smithsonian is in fact a unifying presence, not just for the city of washington or new york and the other places we have professionals, but for the whole country. All of our differences, all our various stripes go away once people cross our thresholds. And you have done, in the various parts of this smithsonian you have served so well and led, done a terrific job of making sure that when people cross that threshold, they know they are in for Straight Talk and truth, and some love as well. That was the first question. The second question was, they said please do the proverbial passing the baton remarks. I looked through the collection of 155 million objects, and there is no baton that is supposed to go from secretary to secretary. [laughter] i thought about this and asked my wife, and she said, it is just figurative, you idiot. So figuratively speaking, im going to pass the baton to you. I have had great joy of passing batons to people in many different positions i have held over decades. I have never had an easier want one to pass than the one i am passing today. Lonnie, you are the genuine article, and i think you know this i mean this sincerely, i think you will be the standout secretary of the 14. I believe you will get it done, you are the genuine article, and we are so, so lucky and happy to have you here. Consider the baton passed. [applause] now i want to get something off my chest. I have the floor, so there isnt much you can do but listen. It has to do with charlie young, the music director of the smithsonian jazz masterworks orchestra. Charlie asked me when i first became secretary to sit in with the group. I rehearsed with him for one hour before the performance. He gave me two numbers, i played the first one, did the solo, said, charlie, what do you think . Charlie is head of the mental jazz program at howard university, teacher a professor. , he said, yeah, you did fine, like that. I did the second one and i said, how did i do, charlie . And he said, well, the performance is tomorrow. Lets put it this way. You keep practicing, we will pray for a miracle. [laughter] that is exactly what he said. Said, you have to introduce the jazz masterworks orchestra. Charlie has apparently lost my cell phone number, because he has not called me back to appear with them. Charlie, it is [gives phone number] and besides your difficult attitude, you are my hero as a music director and alto sax player. It is an honor for me to introduce the septet. Worldclass collections, scholarship, concerts, exhibitions and programs, the smithsonian jazz masterworks orchestra explores and celebrates the American Experience through the transformative power of one of the real, original art forms to come from this country, and that is jazz. Jazz is a very important bridge between our nations identity, our shared history, and our communities. And we are committed to stewarding this connection for all audiences. I hope this is accurate, charlie, but i have been told the performance will be gregory is here, by horace silver. Members of the smithsonian jazz masterworks orchestra. Enjoy [applause] [septet performing] [applause] david some of you may be wondering how you get to be selected as secretary of the smithsonian. Anybody here wonder about that . Some of you may be saying 25 years from now, maybe i would like to be secretary of the smithsonian. How do you get selected . I cant tell you what will happen in 25 years, when lonnie is probably finished in 25 years being secretary. But let me tell you how we selected lonnie. My successor is an extraordinarily wellqualified person to be chair of the smithsonian board. Steve has been a terrific regent and i appreciate his willingness to step into this role. It is a highly paid position. [laughter] and there are no challenges to it. Steve, thank you for doing it. [applause] my hair was completely dark when i took that position. [laughter] we had a Search Committee, and i want to make sure people know how this came about. We had a Search Committee. Steve, as my likely successor and i thought we should chair it because we were leaders of the Smithsonian Institution, but we had a very Diverse Group of 11 people on the committee. How many people on the Search Committee are here . Raise your hand. Thank you for your service on the Search Committee. We met many, many times in steves office and liked doing it because he served very good food and we gained a little weight. But we interviewed many good people, outstanding people. And almost anybody we interviewed could do a reasonably good job, but it was clear lonnie was the best. Everything he had done before in his career was terrific. There was one problem. The problem was, his wife worked at the smithsonian. And he had always told me, his wife was the boss. [laughter] so how could lonnie be secretary