Behind the scene at the ANS move.

Moving the ANS, something that should be easier each time, eh?

I was in NYC ten days ago and spent the better part of the week in charitable works.

For a half-day I visited with Joe Ciccone, the ANS archivist who asked me to come in and identify "people and event" photos in the ANS collection from the 1978-1988 era which covered my main years of activity - first as their photo clerk and later as their computer systems operator. Although in those later days I was the computer guy, I would get to photograph many of the public meetings of the day.

So, it was fun to see folks still active (but looking younger and thinner), or images of folks who have moved on to that great beyond.

Yes, I could name names, and not to disapoint, I will - William F. Spengler, Henry Grunthal, Colin Kraay, Marcel Jovine, Margaret Thompson, Pierre Bastian, R. Henry Norweb, Harry Bass, Jr., Harry Fowler, Norman Stack, Tony Hackens, Charles Hersh, William B. Warden, Jr., George Ewing, Jr., Robert Schonwalter, Edward Janus, Raphael Sollman.

Yes - a photo of George probably taken in the first year at the ANS's computer, 1982, doing data entry of coins from the Greek Collection. The terminal is one of three "dumb" terminals, and was hard wired into the ANS's Prime Computer system, which at the time sported some 300 MB of storage! (It was in a temperture controlled room, and there were 12 levels and 24 disc reading heads *(any of which could (and did) catch a speck of dust and crash the system). The 300 MBs took up 10 reals of 1/2 inch tape (and three hours) to do the system wide back-up).

But then there were the photos of the people behind the scenes at the ANS who made the place go each day - guards and staff (not all of whom have left this world): Photographers: E. Timothy Hansen, Frank Deak, Charles Badal, Michael DiBiase, Guards: Willie and Ed Owens, James Hayes; Staff: Rose Mangini, Florence Donnelly, Leslie Elam, JoAnne McCool, Orin Joseph, Marie Martin, Amelia Zalchman, William Metcalf, Michael Bates, Richard Doty, Persey Coronis, Marlene Rock, Lori Rubens, Tatyiana Feinberg, Sally Fried, Nancy Waggoner, Rose Chan Houston and plenty of others - John, Garfield, Oriestes, Margaret, Linda.

It was fun to see photos of the demolition of the 1958 west hall and installation of the 1983 exhibit - World of Coins into that space (I helped the exhibit design company place the coins, and was the first to break a key in the case locks on the opening day, after placing the last coin - a gold Maple Leaf!. The photos of those attending the parties and talks during the 125th Anniversary festivities were also nice to review.

The ANS needed the people identified, so, I gave it my best shot, and they will have some names to go with hundreds of faces, and perhaps you will someday see the images used in an article or on the website.

By the time I was in the city to visit, the ANS duplicate book sale had ended, and that main banking floor was filled with wheeled carts ready to move out much of the library to their new location. The collection to follow.

George