The role of the US National Office in the Gemini partnership

We follow the history of the US National Gemini Office from its origin when the US National New Technology Telescope was reshaped into two 8m telescopes for the International Gemini Observatory. The development of the office in the decade of the 1990s continues to shape its function to the present. The following decade, 2000-2010, marked major milestones including the dedication of the telescopes, the reshaping of the Gemini instrumentation program, and dissatisfaction of the US community as expressed in the ALTAIR report. Nationally funded facilities are under financial pressure, as new projects must be funded from a nearly fixed budget. We will discuss how the US NGO should be used to advocate for both the US community and the Gemini Observatory. This role could be an essential one in protecting open access to 8m-class facilities.