Cocktails instead of education?

The following appeared in the last meeting minutes of the Mining Foundation of the South West (MFSW):

AGENDA ITEM #6: ARIZONA HISTORICAL SOCIETY (AHS) – JOHN LACY

Below are some of the main points of the brief presentation:

 Senator Edward Ableser introduced legislature again to reopen Arizona Mining and Mineral Museum.

AHS is currently engaged in a major capital campaign and is re-provisioning its mineral exhibits.

AHS will open a natural history exhibit of several state’s rocks and minerals at the museum at Papago Park in Tempe in April.

The Bullion Plaza Cultural Center & Museum in Miami has undergone some wonderful changes. Basement has been remodeled to house a mineral display in a mine-like setting while the main floor features mining artifacts, cowboy memorabilia and ceramic exhibits.

MFSW has yet to finalize plans to reconfigure the current exhibit to include an interactive kiosk at the Tucson location.

Informal input suggests the "major capital campaign"  is trying to raise $10 million from wealthy Phoenix families to convert the old mineral museum building into a venue for "activities". Does that mean that it's most prominently displayed feature would be a cocktail bar, just like the AHS museum in Tempe?

Mitigating the Arizona Hiistorical Society disaster

When the AHS abruptly closed the mineral museum without proper legal authority, they destroyed the very active K-12 earth science education programs. Efforts to alleviate at least some of the damage were recently documented on youtube:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Lyl7-h9M7A

Volunteers mitigate AHS mess

Following up on the story about Senator Ablesers' bill to restore the mineral museum, Cronkite News released the following story about volunteer efforts to mitigate the damage AHS caused to K-12 earth science education.


Wednesday, Feb. 5, 2014
Harmony Huskinson
Cronkite News

Rock on: Nonprofit group continues legacy of closed state mineral museum

http://cronkitenewsonline.com/2014/02/rock-on-nonprofit-group-continues-legacy-of-closed-state-mineral-museum/

Note 1:  The reporter accurately states that 25,000 students per year came to the mineral museum by bus on school field trips. However, another 25,000 were brought to the museum by family or friends.

Note 2: As on 1:00 PM on 2/6/14, this was the top story on the Cronkite News homepage at http://cronkitenewsonline.com/

Shameful AHS

The news story cited in the prior post also ran in the Arizona Daily Star. The following comment appeared below it.

Betty Krug · Top Commenter · Phoenix College

The Museum which was put into the Arizona Historical Society, after the State tried to abolish that Department altogether and was self-sustaining with employees who's wages were paid from the sale of minerals and special programs educating the public and schools about geology. What has been done to it is a travesty and shameful. Bring it back and leave it alone. It was a power grab that is stupid and anti Arizonan.