[4] In 1966, Frohnmayer joined the United States Navy and served as an engineering officer on USS Oklahoma City.

The NEA was in the midst of controversies surrounding its funding of various projects, notably those of Robert Mapplethorpe, which would lead to Congressional action and a United States Supreme Court decision in 1998, National Endowment for the Arts v. Finley.

Frohnmayer's focus on art education was largely overshadowed by the contentious partisan politics surrounding the agency.

[6] Frohnmayer published two books in the 1990s: Leaving Town Alive, an account of his experience at the NEA, and Out of Tune: Listening to the First Amendment, a text for high school and college courses.

[10] Smith lost the Senate election to Jeff Merkley, a Democrat who was cross-nominated by the Independent Party after Frohnmayer quit the race.