Ramunas "Ray" Kondratas was interviewed by Catherine Perge on July 5, 1996. Born in Germany in 1948, Kondratas moved to the United States with his family in 1952. He studied at Harvard and came to work at the Smithsonian in 1977. Kondratas is currently the Head Curator in the Department of History and the Chair and Curator in the Division of Science, Medicine, and Society at the National Museum of American History (NMAH). This interview discusses Kondratas's education at Harvard; how he came to work at the Smithsonian; projects during his first years of work; a description of the medical collections at the Smithsonian; his involvement with video and film documentation funded by a grant from the Sloan Foundation; current projects; how his job has changed; a typical day of work; changes at the NMAH; his work on the Search for Life exhibit with Terry Shearer; the advantages of the Smithsonian name; challenges of his job; his visits to the Smithsonian as a child; stories of working at the Smithsonian; and reflections on his career, the staff, and the Smithsonian. This interview mentions colleagues Dr. Audrey Davis, Michael Harris, Everett Jackson, Terry Sharrer, and Catherine Hutt.

Object Details

See more items in: Smithsonian Memories Project, Festival of American Folklife Oral History Interviews; Smithsonian Memories Project, Festival of American Folklife Oral History Interviews / Interviews

Collection Citation: Smithsonian Institution Archives, Record Unit 9594, Smithsonian Memories Project, Festival of American Folklife Oral History Interviews