- Dinosaur Fossils at the University of Wyoming Geological Museum Will No Longer Be On Public Display So That The University Of Wyoming May Continue To Spend Millions Of Tax Dollars On Losing Athletic Teams
As an alum of UW, and a PhD recipient from the Department of Geology and Geophysics, I am naturally and profoundly disturbed at news of the closing of the Geological Museum and firing of the curator, Brent Breithaupt. The museum is one of the outstanding assets of the University and one of its most highly-recognized attributes. Internationally-known and locally-beloved, it is a gem--and a boon to the sciences of Geology, Paleontology and Biology; it should be prized and treasured, not closed. I am writing to ask that you loudly voice your support for keeping the University of Wyoming Geological Museum open.
In recent years as I have toured much of the Pacific Basin filming segments for my television show I have met literally hundreds of people who know UW only because of the Geological Museum, Curator Breithaupt and the paleontological collections. A University that can waste untold millions on, let's be honest, fairly lousy athletic programs certainly can afford to continue funding one of its most outstanding outreach programs, most beloved icons and most visible academic successes, especially given the comparatively marginal cost to do so.
Closure of the Museum is short-sighted in so many ways. Not only does closure represent a relatively minor savings for the University, but from a community standpoint, the Geological Museum is a huge focus of many tourist visits to Laramie—closure of the Museum will result in an enormous loss in tourist re-lated revenue for the town. I doubt the local businesses recognize how many people come from all over the country just to see this museum...people who have no other reason to visit Laramie or spend money there. Founded 122 years ago, the museum also is an integral part of the history of the University of Wyoming and Department of Geology and Geophysics; part of the grand tradition of American paleontology in general and Wyoming geological exploration in particular. In addition, the museum and attendant paleontological research program are an amazing educational resource not just for Laramie but for the entire state of Wyoming.
When the museum is closed, an important part of Wyoming history will be shuttered and the people of Wyoming will lose a significant portion of their heritage. Once closed it will difficult if not impossible to regain the Geological Museums robust resources, vibrancy and panache or its prominence in the international community of museums. How can the UW Trustees and Administration justify squandering millions on lack-luster athletic programs while hoarding the relative pennies it takes to save this unique and beloved treasure, proven academic resource and important piece of Wyoming history? How can they so blithely rob the people of Wyoming of such a stunning and important part of their legacy and birthright?
In a personal e-mail, University of Wyoming Provost Myron Allen assured me that Christian intolerance, religious superstitions and irrational creationist beliefs have played no part in the closing of the Museum. However, a quick survey shows that such scientific illiteracy and non-reality-based belief systems are rife among many of the the UW Trustees as well as a sizable number of Members of the Wyoming State Senate and House of Representatives; perhaps this explains the lack of vociferous opposition to this obscene and perverse misallocation of University resources.
The fact that, in this day and age, in this state, so many University Trustees, Senators and Congressmen do not understand the value of a Museum, the fundamentals of science nor even subscribe to any modern notion of science, underlines emphatically and exactly why this University has an absolute ethical responsibility and urgent need to keep this museum open.
In summary, people from all over the world know and love Brent Breithaupt and appreciate the incredible job he does...no one, NO ONE outside Wyoming remembers Fenis Dembo or any other Wyoming athlete. My father has a saying that applies directly: "Put your good where it will do the most"--and your "good" does the "most" by bringing what ever influence you have to bear on the Trustees and Administration of the University of Wyoming to continue to fund and support the UW Geological Museum and Brent Breithaupt, the curator. Please contact everyone you can think of to support keeping the museum open; and please let me know what more I can do to help avert this travesty of funding misallocation.
Sincerely,
Donald B. MacGowan, PhD
More information can be found here.
Please contact the following individuals and institutions:
Important UW email Addresses:
President of the University of Wyoming
Tom Buchannan
tombuch@uwyo.edu
Provost of the University of Wyoming
Prof. Myron Allen, Provost
allen@uwyo.edu
Chairman, Department of Geology and Geophysics
Prof. Art Snoke
snoke@uwyo.edu
State Geologist
Dr. Ronald C. Surdam
rsurdam@uwyo.edu
Governor of the State of Wyoming
Governor Dave Freudenthal
governor@state.wy.us
Letters to the Editor:
kerry.drake@trib.com
http://www.wyomingnews.com/our_services/letter_to_the_editor/
dthomsen@laramieboomerang.com
openforum@denverpost.com
University of Wyoming Trustees:
Jim D. Neiman
jimd@neiman.biz
Warren A. Lauer
warrenlauer@lauerlegal.com
Dave Bostrom
mba-db@mbawyoming.com
Dick Davis
dick@davisandcannon.com
Betty Fear
bfear@centurytel.net
Taylor Haynes, M.D.
rangebeef@aol.com
David F. Palmerlee
dpalmerlee@vcn.com
Bradford S. Mead
bradmead@wyoming.com
Ann Rochelle
arochelle@casperlaw.net
James Trosper
jltrosper@wyoming.com
Ex Officio Trustees:
Jim McBride
supt@educ.state.wy.us
Kelsey Day
asuwpres@uwyo.edu
Elected Officials:
Members of the Wyoming House of Representatives
Representative Rodney "Pete" Anderson
randerso@wyoming.com
Representative George Bagby
g.bagby@bresnan.net
Representative Joseph M. Barbuto
jbarbuto@wyoming.com
Representative Rosie Berger
rberger@wyoming.com
Representative Stan Blake
sblake@wyoming.com
Representative Dave Bonner, Jr.
dbonner@wyoming.com
Representative Bob Brechtel
bbrechtel@wyoming.com
Representative Kermit C. Brown
kermitbrown@wyoming.com
Representative Edward A. Buchanan
ebuchanan@wyoming.com
Representative James W. Byrd
jbyrd@wyoming.com
Representative Richard L. Cannady
rcannady@wyoming.com
Representative Seth Carson
scarson@wyoming.com
Representative Pat Childers
childers@wyoming.com
Representative Roy Cohee
roy@cytransportation.com
Representative Cathy Connolly
cconnolly@wyoming.com
Representative Bernadine Craft
bcraft@wyoming.com
Representative Kathy Davison
kdavison@wyoming.com
Representative Ross Diercks
diercks@wyoming.com
Representative Amy L. Edmonds
aedmonds@wyoming.com
Representative Ken A. Esquibel
kesquibel@wyoming.com
Representative Mike Gilmore
michaelgilmore@wyoming.com
Representative Keith Gingery
kgingery@wyoming.com
Representative W. Patrick Goggles
pgoggles@wyoming.com
Representative Mary Hales
mary.hales@realestateincasper.com
Representative Timothy P. Hallinan, M.D.
tphallinan@bresnan.net
Representative Debbie Hammons
dhammons@wyoming.com
Representative Steve Harshman
sharshman@wyoming.com
Representative Elaine D. Harvey
harvey00@tctwest.net
Representative Peter S. Illoway
pete_chloeilloway3@msn.com
Representative Allen M. Jaggi
ajaggi@wyoming.com
Representative Peter M. Jorgensen
pjorgensen@jorgensenassociates.com
Representative Jack Landon, Jr.
jlandon@wyoming.com
Representative Thomas A. Lockhart
tlockh1617@aol.com
Representative Thomas E. Lubnau, II
tlubnau@vcn.com
Representative Michael K. Madden
madden@wyoming.com
Representative Robert M. McKim
rmckim@wyoming.com
Representative Del McOmie
dwmcomie@bresnan.net
Representative Erin E. Mercer
emercer@wyoming.com
Representative Saundra Meyer
slmey@wyoming.com
Representative David R. Miller
repmiller@wyoming.com
Representative Lori Millin
lorimillin@bresnan.net
Representative Glenn Moniz
gmoniz@bresnan.net
Representative John W. Patton
johnpatton@wyoming.com
Representative Frank Peasley
fpeasley@wyoming.com
Representative Bryan K. Pedersen
bpedersen@wyoming.com
Representative Owen Petersen
opetersen@wyoming.com
Representative Frank Philp
fphilp@wyoming.com
Representative Lorraine K. Quarberg
lquarberg@wyoming.com
Representative Jim Roscoe
jroscoe@wyoming.com
Representative Mark A. Semlek
msemlek@wyoming.com
Representative Lisa A. Shepperson
lshepperson@wyoming.com
Representative Colin M. Simpson
csimpson@skelaw.com
Representative William "Jeb" Steward
jebsteward@union-tel.com
Representative Tim Stubson
tim@stampedeforstubson.com
Representative Matt Teeters
mteeters@wyoming.com
Representative Bill Thompson
billthompson@wyoming.com
Representative Mary Throne
mthrone@wyoming.com
Representative Sue Wallis
sue.wallis@vcn.com
Representative Dan Zwonitzer
dzwonitzer@wyoming.com
Representative David L. Zwonitzer
davezwonitzer@wyoming.com
Members of the Wyoming State Senate
Senator Jim Anderson
jamesda1@msn.com
Senator Eli D. Bebout
senbebout@wyoming.com
Senator Bruce Burns
bburns@dbburns.com
Senator Cale Case, Ph.D
ccase@wyoming.com
Senator Henry H.R. "Hank" Coe
hcoe@wyoming.com
Senator Stan Cooper
scooperwy@gmail.com
Senator Dan Dockstader
ddockstader@wyoming.com
Senator Floyd A. Esquibel
fesquibel@wyoming.com
Senator Gerald E. Geis
ggeis@wyoming.com
Senator John M. Hastert
jhastert2@wyoming.com
Senator John J. Hines
jhines@wyoming.com
Senator Rick Hunnicutt
rhunnicutt@wyoming.com
Senator Kit Jennings
kit@kitsenate.com
Senator Wayne H. Johnson
wajohnsonsd6@yahoo.com
Senator Bill Landen
blanden@bresnan.net
Senator Grant Larson
senlarson@wyoming.com
Senator Marty Martin
mmartin@wyoming.com
Senator Mike Massie
mamassie@msn.com
Senator Curt Meier
cmeier@wyoming.com
Senator Phil Nicholas
nicholas@wyolegal.com
Senator Drew A. Perkins
drew@schwartzbon.com
Senator R. Ray Peterson
rpeterson@wyoming.com
Senator Tony Ross
tross@wyoming.com
Senator John C. Schiffer
jschiffe@wyoming.com
Senator Charles K. Scott
charlesscott@wyoming.com
Senator Kathryn Sessions
ksessions@wyoming.com
Senator Charles Townsend
ctown@wyoming.com
Senator Bill Vasey
bvasey@wyoming.com
Senator Michael Von Flatern
mvonflatern@wyoming.com
US Senator John Barrasso
http://barrasso.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?FuseAction=ContactUs.ContactSubmit&CFID=1239277&CFTOKEN=16382076
US Senator Mike Enzi
http://enzi.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?FuseAction=ContactInformation.EmailSenatorEnzi
US Congresswoman Cynthia Lummis
http://mail01.mail.com/scripts/common/login_home.cgi?a=8f98139853a8036ef957959bc549ccbb9038a83922ff63e1f0f0eb5b4b61dfdabce6feb0bdc38a56668f46386b88ababbac9158156503c7c8e90a60cee2396f14a7bbf2ebfd857c722e5e29ca5151f69d55cb84105916d
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