David Squires was interviewed by Jen Page on July 7, 1996. Born in Providence, Rhode Island, in 1939, Squires attended Boston University. He began working for the Smithsonian in July 1963 on the satellite tracking program of the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory (SAO). When funding for the program was cancelled, Squires began to work for the Center for Short-Lived Phenomenon, also a part of the Smithsonian. The name later changed to the Scientific Event Alert Network, and Squires was the manager of this program. He worked there from 1969-1975, when he began working part time in the Shipping and Receiving Office and the Transportation Office in the National Museum of Natural History. He became a supervisor of these offices in November 1980 and worked there until his retirement in October 1991. This interview discusses the course of Squires's career, the different places he worked while with the satellite tracking program, the history and purpose of the program, what work they did each night, his work and interesting projects while with the Scientific Event Alert Network, a typical day of work there, his interview and hiring by the Smithsonian, how he came to work in the Shipping and Receiving Offices, what he did there in his temporary and permanent capacities, stories of working at the Smithsonian, challenges of the job, the growth of the staff, his role as a supervisor, what working at the Smithsonian meant to him, who he worked with, collaborating with the Festival every year, dealing with Customs, and memories of the Festival of American Folklife.

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