Hectic Summer part 1: National Archives (and recently-declassified antique records)

This past summer, I worked on two different internships (more on that later).  One of them was at the National Archives and Records Administration, specifically their College Park location.  I digitized records of Operation Crossbow in preparation for creating a finding aid and adding them to the online catalog.  For those who don’t know, Operation Crossbow was a World War II operation to counter German V1 and V2 rockets, which were being launched at British cities, mainly London, from the occupied European mainland.

I had applied basically as a declaration of interest; there was nothing on my resume except some volunteer work so I figured that they would never accept me, there had to be dozens of other candidates with more experience.  During the phone interview, though, I expressed interest in WW2-era intelligence and counterintelligence, which probably got me the job.  I was ecstatic; I didn’t shut up about it for days, I mean it’s the NATIONAL ARCHIVES.

There were a lot of other interns there, but I was working on my own, except for my supervisor.  I spent most of my time in the digitization lab, skim-reading the records of the Supreme Headquarters Allied Expeditionary Force, looking for mention of Crossbow.  (At one point, I was temporarily pulled off of the project to help my supervisor rehouse pre-1975 records from the Environmental Protection Agency, but that was only for a few weeks before I went back to SHAEF.)  I actually had very little contact with my fellow interns, they had their projects and I had mine.  Some interesting points unrelated to the actual internship: once a person has gone through the security check process once, they don’t need to do it again if they come back for another internship.  Also, the Archives apparently has a long history of hiring former interns; I met at least four while I was there.  There is a bus line that will take you very nearly to the front door, and the Archives has an arrangement with the Department of Transportation to waive fares for commuting interns (I ride the bus, so this was very cool).  There are a number of tours and panels available to interns; I chose to tour the conservation labs (yes labs plural, there were three) and the cartography lab.  They were all fascinating, we got to see some amazing things and the tour guides were very knowledgeable and answered any questions that we asked.

One of the carts full of SHAEF files that I read through

My very first day, I turned a page in the folder that I was going through to find a map of the plans for the D-Day landings at Normandy.  I would eventually lose count of how many of these I came across; D-Day maps, invasion maps, airfields, continued resistance, you name it.  At one point, I was reading through lists of Allied POW camps in the path of the invasion (did they have enough food, did they need medical assistance, were they okay until they could be liberated) and right there on the page I saw Stalag 17 and Stalag Luft 3 (of The Great Escape).  I came home every day babbling about the incredibly geeky things that I had gotten to see and hold.  One thing stood out, though.  One fine day in early July, I was skimming through a document, and my eyes caught on the name Stalin.  I went back to actually read it, and as it turns out, it was a typewritten draft of a memo from General Eisenhower to Stalin, informing him of the Allied plans for invading Germany.  Unsigned, so nothing worth calling the news about, but still, how amazing is that?  

Internship at the Priddy Library

            My name is Hanaa Ashraf and I am a History major at the Universities at Shady Grove. This fall semester I started my very first internship at the Priddy Library. So far, some of the work I have done have included devising and planning ideas for an exhibit on diversity at the library as well as working with Human Resources to create a webpage on diversity and inclusivity at USG.      

            The exhibit that will go up in the library is supposed to be educational and informative, yet fun and interactive. So far, I came up with ideas such as national foods and cultural holidays around the world. However, I have not gotten this approved with the library director, Irene Munster, yet.

            Most of my time has been spent helping Human Resources here at USG with defining terms that relate to diversity and inclusion for the website that has been recently launched. Up until now, there was no department at USG for diversity. The webpage is meant to be there for educational purposes but also as a resource for students and faculty facing issues concerning diversity.

            As someone with a history background and as some in public history, I had thought that brainstorming ideas for an exhibit and creating exhibits would be an easier task than it may seem now. In other words, it is a very different form of learning than the classroom learning I am used to. I imagine this may have to do more with this being my first internship and the lack of experience I have in this area. Nevertheless, my experience with the exhibits has reminded me how many skills there are that I still need to improve, something that I hope to continue to do with this internship, my career, and beyond.

The Dawn of a New Day: Legislative to Executive Branch

Chapter 1: Branching Out

            Greetings, I would like to welcome you back to the political journey that I have been on this year. My year began as a legislative intern in Delegate David-Fraser Hidalgo’s office in the Maryland General Assembly. That was a pleasant experience that enlightened my perspective on government and politics. This opportunity served as an excellent foundation in politics and inspired me to continue in that realm. I felt that this momentum would be well served to explore more opportunities within government. Therefore, I decided to apply to the Governor’s Summer Internship Program. This program started in 1987 and is operated through the Shriver Center on UMBC’s main campus. This is a competitive program as it offers twenty Marylander’s the opportunity to work in Maryland’s executive branch. I rejoiced when I discovered that I was chosen to be a part of such a prestigious program.

            After the orientation, it was time to begin and get to work. I was curious about my role and if I would be treated as “just an intern” or as someone that was a young bright mind that could assist in the daily activities of the executive branch. The program is setup to pair each of the GSIP (Governor’s Summer Internship Program) fellows with a senior level staffer. I was fortunate to be paired up with Patrick Lally, Senior Executive Director of the Governor’s Coordinating Offices. Patrick has a highly reputable career, one of his more prominent positions was as the director of New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani’s DC office. He has excelled in public administration throughout his career, which, is one of the reasons that he was appointed to one of the top administrative positions within the Hogan administration.

GCO’s purpose is to carry out the Governor’s goals by coordinating with the public and private sector to implement his policies in an effective and efficient manner.

                                

Figure 1. Governor’s Coordinating Offices (Front)

            I soon realized that my placement, the program, and especially Pat would treat me as a Full-time employee and not as an intern. I learned this early on as I was tasked with matters that were vital to the office and to Maryland. My first task focused on the Banneker-Douglass Museum, which, is one of the best African-American museums for material culture. I was tasked with ensuring that the administration was doing everything it could to help the museum run efficiently and was receiving adequate support. I worked with the museum and the Governor’s Office of Community Initiatives to assess any issues and to develop timely solutions. It was a fruitful endeavor as we cultivated relations that resulted in a renewed support of the museum. It should be mentioned that the GSIP visit to Annapolis began at BDM as it is a fundamental aspect of Annapolis and Maryland’s rich history. I feel that might be a pleasant place to work/intern as they truly enjoy what they do.

Figure 2. Banneker-Douglass Museum (Downtown Annapolis)

            One of the best traits of GSIP was its variety and the opportunities that we could take part in. I enjoyed was our trip to Paul’s Place, which is a charitable organization located in “Pigtown”, a section of Southwest Baltimore. For any Orioles or Ravens fans, it is just a couple blocks west of Camden Yards and M & T Bank Stadium. This area of Baltimore faces limited job opportunities as most were taken away when the trains stopped coming in and the pig slaughterhouses were shut down. Paul’s Place serves as a place for the locals to acquire donated clothing, learn job skills, write a resume, conduct an interview, receive counseling and most importantly just get a free hot meal. This experience made the entire program worth doing just by itself. I met some kind local folks of Baltimore that wake up each day not knowing if they will eat or where they will sleep. I was glad to serve them and actually had some intriguing conversations with “Wolfman” about martial arts. “Wolfman” is 72 years old and has been involved with Paul’s Place for at least the last decade. Overall, this project served as a wonderful opportunity for each of us GSIP fellows to serve the community firsthand.

Figure 3. Yamilex and I enjoying our service day at Paul’s Place (Awesome Hats right?)

            The journey to the executive branch has officially started in the Governor’s Coordinating Offices. I am ambitious to learn more about the administration and the ways that I can help carry out policies that will best serve Marylanders. The GSIP experience got off to a strong start with the Banneker-Douglass Museum and Paul’s Place. I will delve into the second important part of the GSIP experience. I feel that my momentum transitioned smoothly into GSIP and could serve to make for a wonderful experience. Tune in next month for Chapter 2!

Sincerely,

Victor F. Mercogliano

Historic Medley District

At the beginning of the month I began my internship at the Historic Medley District in Poolesville, Maryland. As a history major, and especially as a public history minor, my intention upon undertaking this endeavor was to gain firsthand experience working in a small local historical organization.

As this position did not formally exist before I got into contact with the organization’s directors, I was given a certain amount of leeway when pitching projects to my supervisors. I suggested to them that I would be interested in organizing and digitizing their archives. At the time their archives were essentially a collection of nearly a dozen boxes stuffed to the brim with assorted documents. Sorting through these boxes, I was able to find several fascinating items slipped in between piles of hand scribbled notes and flyers for past events sponsored by the Historic Medley District. These included a grammar book from 1860, an insurance policy taken out in 1885, and a collection of letters written by a soldier stationed in Poolesville during the Civil War.

The John Poole House
 

I currently work in their office, which is located above the John Poole House, a colonial trading post once built by the town’s founder in the 1760s. The bulk of my time so far has been dedicated to sorting through and cataloguing these documents in order to make it easier to categorize them in the future. Though this can prove exceptionally tedious, the idea of building a new archive from the ground up is a truly incredible opportunity.

Campfire Tripod outside the John Poole House

  

The idea that I am responsible for organizing and digitally preserving historical documents is a daunting one, but being thrown into the proverbial deep end of the pool is in many ways the perfect kind of learning experience. This internship is providing a secure environment in which I can try, fail, learn from my mistakes, and create what could become an enduring aspect of this historical organization.

Reflection

I actually just finally dropped off the keys to my internship office, albeit about 3 weeks late. I also dropped off the photographs I compiled for the Duncan Street Miracle Garden alleygating proposal. As for the future of this project, I have no idea. I plan on trying to stay in touch with Jen as much as I can to see how the project is going.

In general, the NDC internship was a good experience. I got to try my hand at conducting some oral interviews, which definitely made me pretty painfully aware of how immediately terrified I was to do this. Now having done it, I'd say I feel a lot more comfortable in that role. This should help a lot over the next year since a large component of my thesis research is going to involve oral history.

It was also a tremendously gratifying experience to work with Mr. Sharpe at the Duncan Street Miracle Garden. I've lived in Baltimore for nearly ten years now and this is probably the first time I've felt like I've really contributed something of note back to the community. The mural for Mr. Sharpe is supposed to be completed within the next two weeks and I definitely plan on stopping by to take a look it once it is finished.

Having said all of that, I still feel a bit aimless in my career goals. Baltimore is going to be my home for the foreseeable future and I'd still like to find a space/place where I can engage with it's diverse, and often underappreciated, community even if not professionally. It remains to be seen. Jen told me about a project that she will be assisting with in Curtis Bay which might involve conducting some historical research on various sites. The idea being to create a catalog of the unique and important history of the neighborhood in order to preemptively stave off potentially irresponsible development in the near future. Basically the same kind of work that NDC helped with on the Old Goucher Vision Master Plan. This is something I most certainly would be interested in, time permitting. Ironically enough most of my internship didn't involve much actual historical research, which is something I do regret a bit.