Plains Indian Studies - Smithsonian Institution Libraries

NUMBER 30 43
FIGURE 3.—Waldo and George Metcalf (with pipe) contemplating
an exposed archeological feature at the Hayes
"Council Circle'' site near Lyons, Kansas, 1967.
next phase of the game of musical chairs—this
time in the Division of Ethnology.
Herbert Krieger, the curator of ethnology,
came to the Smithsonian in the same year as
Collins—1924. How he came to be selected for
the position is not stated in the annual report of
the Museum, the only source I have consulted. I
met Krieger soon after he arrived, because 1924
was also the year I began serving as Hrdlicka's
temporary aide. I found Krieger agreeable
enough, but often, no matter how good a reason
I had for engaging him in conversation, he appeared
to suspect me of having some under­
handed motive and of attempting to put something
over on him. I was not alone in recognizing
Krieger's eccentricity, but evidently the latter was
not an impediment for anyone working in his
Division, as is evident from Collins' fruitful 15year
record there.
From my knowledge of Krieger's manner of
operation, I judge that he relied on Setzler to pick
Collins' successor. Anyway, W.W. Hill of Albuquerque,
a cousin of Matthew Stirling, chief of
the Bureau of American Ethnology, was the first
pick. He arrived in February 1939, but stayed
only until January 1940, before returning to the
University of New Mexico. Hill was followed in
March 1941 by J.E. Weckler, Jr., of Los Angeles,
who stayed only long enough to write one of the
Smithsonian's War Background Studies (Weckler,
1943) before resigning in January 1943.
Whatever Hill's and Weckler's reasons for not
staying in Washington, certainly it can be said
that they found no satisfactory way to profit from
the climate of science in the Smithsonian. This
brings us to Jack.
After Collins left the Museum it took Setzler
and Krieger seven years and a third try before
they found someone—meaning Jack—who
would stay in the Division more than three years.
The date of Jack's appointment is June 1946.
Like Hill and Weckler before him. Jack came in
as an associate curator. Waldo had been made
associate curator in 1942. But whereas originally
Waldo had come in out of the Great Depression,
so to speak. Jack came in out of military service
in World War II. And on the other hand, whereas
Waldo had come in during the first term of
Roosevelt's long administration, Jack missed by
one year coming in during the last term—Roosevelt
died in 1945 and was succeeded by Harry
Truman.
Administrative changes had occurred within
the Smithsonian, too. In addition to those mentioned,
Secretary Abbot had retired in 1944 and
had been succeeded by Wetmore, who nevertheless
continued on as Director of the National
Museum. The big happening in 1946, though,
was not administrative: the Institution celebrated
its 100th anniversary that year. Among other