A room rich in people gathered around a Columbian mammoth exhibit, nonetheless the mammoth wasn’t what you went to determine. They had been there to witness a milestone celebration.
The Florida Museum of Natural History was officially thought to be the University of Florida’s most up to date historic marker . The presentation also served being a kick-off to your museum’s centennial celebration, which will officially begin in 2017.
The museum opened in 1891 within the Florida Agricultural College in Lake City for the reason that Florida State Museum. It had been then gone to Gainesville in 1906 should the university was formed.
In 1917, the museum was dedicated and acknowledged as their state museum of natural history. Now A century later, the museum and also the university celebrate all it’s become.
Florida Museum Director Douglas Jones spoke with the dedication and recognized the value of this landmark.
“I’m very invested personally during the museum becoming successful, making it particularly gratifying to view the museum continue to keep exceed and excel. I am very fortunate being the director as of this particular quantity of the museum’s history,” Jones said.
Over many years, the museum’s collections have risen to substantially more than 40 million specimens and artifacts as well as being the main collecting institution inside southeastern America. During the past year, the museum had a lot more than 208,000 visitors plus much more than 15,000 were UF students, in accordance with Jones.
UF President Kent Fuchs spoke for the dedication ceremony, too, in regards to the impact which the museum might wear the UF campus additionally, on the Gainesville community.
“I picture the generations of children that have sworn themselves to careers as paleontologists after observing the large sloth and various creatures of history with our Florida Fossils exhibit. Few visitors are likely to forget rediscovering butterflies and possibly also their sense of wonder within the Butterfly Rainforest,” Fuchs said.
The museum historical marker may be the 15th marker at UF, according to Joe Kays from your University History Advisory Council.
“These markers describe major research achievements for the university, explain innovations as being a land grant and flagship university, recount issues with campus culture and highlight individual and groups who made important contributions,” Kays said.
Fuchs and Jones unveiled and dedicated the historical marker outside of the museum.
“It’s wonderful to be a thing about this celebration where i am looking at the past and celebrating each of the accomplishments of history A century. But we’re also considering the future. This museum is really a critical a part of our future due to the teaching mission, research and scholarship,” Fuchs said.
The centennial celebration continue in 2017 which includes a wide variety of events to celebrate the museum’s 100th anniversary. On April 22, the museum will host the Florida Museum 100th Anniversary Gala and the summer the Discovery Zone, a lasting exhibit, will open.
Jones, that has spent most of his career for the museum of natural history, looks towards the desolate man the museum.
“I look forward to our next Century and doing sustained things while in the years ahead,” he said.
