Always Wear Your Badge at Work
Artifact ID1985.91060.01
Object Type
Poster
Gifter
William R. Watts
Maker
United States Department of Energy
(Washington, DC)
Date
1956
Medium
Paper, Ink
Dimensions17 × 11 in. (43.2 × 27.9 cm)
Physical DescriptionAn office safety poster features a black-and-white image of a young Ronald Reagan pinning a badge to his jacket pocket. Below the image is green and black text stating, "no matter who you are... ALWAYS WEAR YOUR BADGE AT WORK." The poster was produced by the Department of Energy. Handwritten on the side of the poster is text stating "Best wishes, Bill Watte" and a circled badge.Historical NotePresident Reagan was featured in this Department of Energy Poster produced by the Richland Operations office, the main field office for the Hanford Site cleanup in southeastern Washington State. It shows a young Ronald Reagan visiting Hanford’s nuclear reactor and plutonium processing facilities in 1956. It reminds employees no matter who you are . . . Always wear your badge at work. He also was featured in another poster wearing goggles, reminding workers to ''Wear Safety Glasses Now!'' No one would guess that thirty years later, as president, Ronald Reagan would oversee the nation’s missile program and sign the SDI treaty, and the site ceased production under his administration. The donor, who worked at Richland at the time, circled his own badge on the poster.
Additional Details
Custodial History NoteThe item was a gift from a member of the general public to President Ronald Reagan during the Reagan administration. It was received through the Executive Office of the President Office of Correspondence and maintained there until its transfer to the National Archives in January, 1989 for deposit with the Reagan Presidential Library.
National Archives Catalog CollectionRecords of the White House Gift Unit (Reagan Administration) (National Archives Identifier 6816362) and
National Archives Catalog SeriesGifts from the General Public (National Archives Identifier 6816363)
Use Restriction StatusUnrestricted
Use Restriction NoteReproduction or other use of these holdings or images thereof is unrestricted.
Person Depicted
Ronald Wilson Reagan
(President of the United States of America (1981-1989))
In Collection(s)
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