Sunday, November 20, 2005

Museum Creator Honored In Albuquerque

In the 1970's Mary Gavin, 91, and her late husband, Edward, lobbied for the creation of a museum to keep New Mexico fossils in New Mexico.
More than a hundred of her friends and admirers gathered Friday at the New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Science to honor her on a day Gov. Bill Richardson decreed "Mary Gavin Day."

"I'm deeply honored to be here today," she said. As she spoke, the sounds of children on field trips echoed through the museum's atrium , a testament to the power of Gavin's vision.

"We educate over a hundred thousand children a year of all ages," said museum director Adrian Hunt. "She's the reason that this building's here."

Known as the "dinosaur museum" to children, it boasts a team of researchers and a large behind-the-scenes scientific collection. Gavin still serves on the museum's board.

Go is see Sue, The World’s Most Famous Dinosaur on display through the rest of the year.