The Houston Museum of Natural Science has been around for a long time – and many members of our staff have been here for a lengthy part of that century, dedicating their lives to shaping the Museum we know today.
 

In the videos below, they’ll give you their unique perspective on the Museum’s history – and what they see for the Museum’s next 100 years. Check back soon for additional stories posted throughout 2009.

	Joel A. Bartsch President 27 Years of Service A native Texan and longtime Houstonian, Joel A. Bartsch was appointed president of the Houston Museum of Natural Science in 2004. His previous 15 years of service at the Museum included his position as curator of the Cullen Hall of Gems and Minerals, which he continues to hold. In addition to his contributions to the Museum’s future, Joel’s history here extends much further into the Museum’s past - from a child visiting for lectures, to a budding mineralologist building his collection, to his first paid job here as a security guard, Joel has a unique perspective on HMNS history, which he shares in this video.
	Lisa Rebori Vice President of Collections 29 Years Of Service A collection of over 2 million artifacts requires a lot of care - and Lisa is responsible for the general administration of the permanent collections, as well as the planning and management of the special exhibition the Museum brings to Houston. In addition to her many other responsibilities, she is also a principle in the strategic planning for the museum including permanent and temporary exhibition programming and facilities planning.
	Martha Gillard Museum Services Lead 24 Years of Servicee If you call the Museum, it’s likely that you’ll speak to Martha - one of the matriarchs of the Museum family. She’s seen the museum develop from, in her words, a “sleepy little place” to one of the country’s most highly attended museums. She remembers Houston’s reaction to Halley’s Comet - because she fielded the hundreds of calls that poured in asking about it. She has a million stories from almost 30 years of watching HMNS grow – and she shared a few of them in this video.
	Carolyn Sumners Vice President of Astronomy & Physical Sciences 39 Years of Service In her almost four decades at the Museum, Carolyn has watched HMNS grow from a Planetarium connected to a simple exhibitions facility to the multi-story science center it is today - teaching adults, astronauts, and over a million students about the wonders of the night sky along the way. She has written trade books, a textbook series, and over 50 planetarium shows. Her contributions to the Museum include the development of the Challenger Learning Center, George Observatory, Earth Forum, and portable digital theater.
	David Temple Associate Curator of Paleontology 17 Years of Service Associate Curator of Paleontology David Temple likes to say he's also the unofficial head of the Museum's "Department of Mysteries" - meaning that he's our Renaissance Man, the go-to guy when you've got a weird bug, strange goo, unusual fossil, mysterious substance or other generally unknown object you'd like to know what to do with. Now in his 17th year at the Museum, David organizes the Museum's field program in Seymour, TX. David brings his background in archaeology to the process of digging for fossils - in which the entire context of surrounding each find is catalogued.
	Irene Offeman Museum Staff, Retired 26 Years of Service Irene started collecting fossils as a way to keep her children occupied on road trips - and that simple activity turned into a passion for fossils and long career at the Houston Museum of Natural Science. She started as a volunteer, and eventually came on staff to help with the Museum’s collections. The “Wish Book” she created, filled with ideas for a Paleontology Hall the Museum would one day build - is now a reality you can walk through at HMNS every day