Elliot N. Sivowitch, 80, a scholar of television and radio history who worked at the Smithsonian Institution for four decades, died July 20 of cardiac arrest at Holy Cross Hospital in Silver Spring.
A former colleague, Melinda Machado, confirmed the death.
Mr. Sivowitch joined the Smithsonian in 1959, then worked for a year at the Library of Congress before returning to the Smithsonian. He spent nearly his entire career in the electricity collection of the National Museum of American History and its predecessor, the Museum of History and Technology.
He helped develop exhibitions including “Information Age,” “Person to Person” and “Transistors at Fifty.” He was an amateur radio operator and was instrumental in establishing the Smithsonian’s old ham radio station, Machado said.
After his retirement in 2000, he remained involved with the museum as a volunteer.
Elliot Norman Sivowitch was born in Brooklyn. He received a bachelor’s degree in 1954 and a master’s degree in 1957, both in history and both from Syracuse University.
Mr. Sivowitch was a Washington resident. His memberships included the Audio Engineering Society, the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers and the American Radio Relay League. He played the violin and sometimes demonstrated acoustic principles to museum visitors.
He had no immediate survivors.
— Megan McDonough
