Arizona Historical Society historically challenged?

A retired editor and historian is having difficulty with the AHS. He expects that if the AHS produces history textbooks for Arizona schools, they should be accurate.  He is frustrated with what he perceives to be a lack of concern about accuracy.

Perhaps he does not understand the AHS perception of history.

An April 30, 2011 post on this blog described a Monday, April 18^th, 1211,  KAET 8 interview of an AHS representative.  In that interview, the representative said that history is “about learning and imagining the future”. The statement supported the plan to erase history (mining and mineral museum) and replace it with an Arizona Experience Museum.

If the AHS does not recognize or accept the commonly understood definition of history, why would they be concerned about accuracy?

Reference:

Textbook makers should tell schools about errors

Earl Zarbin

Arizona Republic, January 28, 2013, page B6

Restoration of Arizona mineral museum?

Senator Ableser (eableser@azleg.gov) is introducing Senate Bill 1017 to restore the Arizona Mining and Mineral Museum . If the bill becomes law, it will assign management responsibility to a state agency with appropriate scientific and technical credentials. That agency is the Arizona Geological Survey. The AZGS agency already archives the extensive and historic collection of Arizona mining and mineral records that were abandoned in 2010 when the Arizona Historical Society executed the hostile takeover of the mineral museum.  Therefore, the bill would reunite the states irreplaceable collection of mineral specimens with their supporting documentation files.

Continued funding for Arizona Centennial Mueum

The recommended FY 2013 Arizona state budget (http://www.azgovernor.gov/documents/AZBudget/2013/FY2013_ExecBudget_BudgetBook.pdf) still includes a separate line item of $410,500 for the non-existent Arizona Centennial Museum.  Continued funding, at the same level, is even recommended for FY 2014. Taxpayers may be used to getting little in return for their tax dollars, but will they accept nothing?

The $410,500 is apparently for rent payments on the empty building at 1502 W. Washington in Phoenix. The budget recommendation also includes continuation of the Arizona Historical Societies $1.5 million taxpayer funded payroll. Therefore, it appears that the AHS plans to continue paying the staff of three Centennial Museum employees  for the empty building that was once the nationally recognized and top rated Arizona Mining and Mineral Museum.

If so, then Arizona taxpayers will be providing the AHS over a half million dollars a year for -------nothing!

Free rent for private parties?

As reported in prior posts, the Arizona Historical Society has two facilities in metropolitan Phoenix. One is the former mineral museum building at 1502 West Washington Street. It now stands empty, providing no service whatever to Arizona taxpayers.

The other is the Marley Center Museum in Tempe. The AHS prefers to call it the Papago Park Museum, even though they accepted one million dollars from Kemper Marley for naming rights. The museum displays are not maintained, and attendance is so embarrassingly low the AHS will not release the attendance numbers.  The most prominent feature is a cocktail bar, and the primary use of the property appears to be a venue for private parties.

In spite of the AHS providing little value to taxpayers in return for millions of dollars of state funding, they managed to elicit a big reward from the 2012 legislature: free rent for the huge Marley Center "Museum".  

Reference:
2012 Legislative Summary

ARIZONA STATE SENATE

Fiftieth Legislature, Second Regular Session, Page 7

S.B. 1525 makes statutory and session law changes relating to state budget procedures in order to reconcile the FY 2013 state budget. State Buildings/Rent – Effective January 1, 2013, the bill exempts the Arizona State Schoolsfor the Deaf and the Blind and the Arizona Historical Society’s Papago Park Museum from paying Capital Outlay Stabilization Fund (COSF) rent to the Arizona Department of Administration (ADOA).

Photo obituary for the Arizona mineral museum

Mindat.org is the largest mineral database and mineralogy reference website on the internet. This site contains worldwide data on minerals, mineral collecting, mineral localities and other mineralogical data. (quoted from homepage)

A  recent (November 18, 2012) post provides a partial photo documentary of the once top rated Arizona mineral museum:  http://www.mindat.org/article.php/1599/Arizona+Mineral+Museum%2C+Phoenix%2C+Arizona

Where are these beautiful mineral specimens now?

Mesa Mineral Show

The annual Flagg Mineral Foundation show and sale is being held Friday, Saturday, and Sunday at Mesa Community College (January 4th through 6th).

Proceeds from the show were used to support the Arizona Mining and Mineral Museum prior to the hostile takeover by the Arizona Historical Society. They are now being used to support alternate  earth science education projects.