The True Tales Behind Museum Pieces

At the time, in the early ’70s, I think motorcycles were more associated with outlaws and gangs like the Hells Angels. Today, motorcycle culture is more of an expression of freedom and individualism. I think my dad was the turning point between the bad guys and the good guys, with that red, white and blue outfit he wore. The fact that he had the highest-rated Wide World of Sports show in history is just a testament to how he had the whole country sitting on the edge of their seats, waiting to see what he would do next.

Look at all the people he has inspired — freestyle motocross riders, racers and extreme-sports enthusiasts. He created a new industry, and it’s still going today. Not a single person in these sports doesn’t credit Evel Knievel for it, and he definitely deserves it.

Shawnee dush-toh hair ornament

As the First Americans Museum in Oklahoma City prepared to return some items on loan from the Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian, it asked artist Heidi BigKnife to create a contemporary piece to replace the dush-toh, a type of hair ornament worn by the Shawnee. The original was created sometime between 1870 and 1900. BigKnife’s version is made of maple wood, cotton calico, glass seed beads, silk ribbon, wool broadcloth, sterling silver, brain-tanned hide and embroidery floss.

The dush-toh is worn during ceremonial dancing. The hourglass shape, to me, represents the Earth and the universe. When we’re dancing, we are in a relationship with those two things.

When I made this piece, I thought about different designs, but I landed on illustrating things that relate to my ceremonial ground. It’s got oak leaves on it because our ceremonial ground is called White Oak. It has a tiny pendant hanging from it, a little dogwood flower, which is significant to my grounds. I don’t know the person who made the original piece, but making this made me feel more connected to my ancestors and my heritage.

The Smithsonian’s object was collected about 1910, and then to see that they’re still being made — that’s important. People who roll in off Route 66 see that Native people are still living, the cultures are still alive and languages are still being spoken. Maybe they will be able to see that some of these objects are spiritually significant, just as one might find significance viewing objects in other religious contexts.

The dush-toh represents Shawnee culture. The Shawnee have been building community on this continent since time immemorial, and our history, culture and people embody the lived experience of what is now called America.

U.S. Air Force Col. James E. Randall lost his helmet in 1965 when he was shot down in Vietnam. The helmet was returned in 2013 and, along with other items, was accepted into the collection of the National Museum of African American History and Culture.

Courtesy Wish of a Lifetime

U.S. Air Force flight helmet

U.S. Air Force Col. James E. Randall lost his helmet on Oct. 13, 1965, when his F-105 Thunderchief was shot down near Dien Bien Phu, Vietnam. It was later found in a Vietnamese flea market and returned to him. In recent years, Wish of a Lifetime from AARP, an organization that works to fulfill the dreams of older Americans, helped get the helmet accepted into the collection of the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture, along with Randall’s Purple Heart and other items.

Randall, a member of the legendary Tuskegee Airmen who had a 36-year military career that included combat missions in two wars, died in 2019. His widow, Essie, died this year. His daughter Roberta Rollins shares his story.

In August 2013, they presented my dad with his helmet at the Tuskegee Airmen Convention in St. Louis. He brought it home and had a cabinet built. Before my father passed away, he said he wanted the helmet to go to the African American museum. It was important to him because there isn’t much memorabilia left of the Tuskegee Airmen.

My dad fought for his country during a time when African Americans couldn’t even vote. He faced racism, but he persevered. I have never been prouder of my dad than I am now.

AARP affiliate Wish of a Lifetime helps older people live their once-in-a-lifetime dreams. Go to wishofalifetime.org to learn more about the program and read other stories of wishes fulfilled.

Fonzie’s leather jacket

Few articles of clothing embody cool quite like the Fonz’s leather jacket from the ABC sitcom Happy Days. Portrayed by Henry Winkler, now 80, during the show’s 11-season run in the 1970s and ’80s, Arthur Fonzarelli was TV’s most popular character on one of the era’s most popular shows. One of the jackets used on the show is part of the collection at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History.

I got a call from Gary Nardino, the president of Paramount Television. He said, “The Smithsonian would like to have your jacket.” When you’re first asked, it is an honor, but the breadth and the depth are not fully comprehended. As you go through life, it becomes this gigantic compliment.

The original was a beat-up bomber jacket that was stolen from the costumes department at Paramount after the show’s first year. Then they made five and stored them in a vault. Two of those jackets are still in my closet.

I think the jacket represents external toughness. The jacket is instantaneously recognizable as Oh, I would give that human being space. I would arrive on set at 12 on Friday and have my hair combed into a ducktail. I got ready for dress rehearsal with the T-shirt and the boots. When I put on the jacket, the character was complete.

I never wore the leather jacket as myself. I couldn’t live up to the character; he was bigger than life. One time, I went to see the jacket at the Smithsonian. I didn’t have a camera, so I waited by the case. A family came by. I said, “I know this is crazy, but I’m going to ask you to take a picture of me with the jacket. I’m going to give you my address, and you’re going to send it to me.” They knew who I was, but they looked at me like I was crazy.

I hope that when people see the jacket, they think that even though the Fonz was supposed to be tough, his humanity always shines through. As the character, I never hit anyone. I never used a weapon. It’s the strength of a human being that convinces both the good and the bad to do the right thing.

Artist Jon Lomberg designed a poster for NASA’s 1975 Viking Project

Marco Garcia

NASA Viking ’75 poster

Artist Jon Lomberg, 77, designed this poster for NASA’s 1975 Viking Project, the first U.S. mission to land a spacecraft on the surface of Mars. These posters were often handed out to media, and one is now part of the collection at the Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum.

As a frequent collaborator with Carl Sagan, Lomberg produced images that helped us visualize what the universe looked like. He won an Emmy Award for his artistic work on the PBS show Cosmos, served as a consultant on the movie Contact, and created the illustrations for Sagan’s books.

Space has always been my thing. As a child, the question was always: Why isn’t everybody interested? Some people are born to play soccer or play the cello. I think I was born with a love of space.

Sagan and I began working together when he wrote his first solo book, The Cosmic Connection, in 1973. He was also one of the scientists on the Viking mission. One day, he told me, “You know, Jon, the mission doesn’t have a really good patch. It doesn’t have an insignia. If we leave it to NASA, I don’t know what they’ll do, so why don’t you try to do something?”

I came up with the design, which took a Viking ship and placed it in space, approaching Mars. On Mars, there’s an image of the Viking lander itself. It never became the official Viking mission patch, but this design was used for the launch of the Viking mission in 1975 from Cape Canaveral. I think NASA just wanted to have some nice handouts for the launch. I was just starting my career. I was still in my 20s. It made me feel, in a very small way, part of the mission.

I don’t know how widely it’s seen in the Air and Space Museum, but for me, it’s a bit of history. Viking is one of NASA’s great achievements, but it’s been overshadowed now because we have rovers on Mars. But at the time, the first U.S. landing on Mars was a big deal. My tiny contribution has somehow been preserved.