Читать книгу The American Museum of Natural History and How It Got That Way - Colin Davey - Страница 11

Preface

Thomas A. Lesser

O ne could still see the Milky Way when I grew up on Long Island. My aunt lived in Queens, and every year for my birthday I would stay with her, and she would take me anywhere I wanted to go in Manhattan. Every year we went to the same place—the American Museum of Natural History and the Hayden Planetarium. Years later my dream came true: I was writing, producing, and presenting sky shows at the Hayden. After overseeing the automation of the (old) Hayden, I was asked to join the staff of the American Museum of Natural History and served in several positions there.

There are numerous people who made working at the Hayden and the museum a fantastic experience for me, too many to mention, but I would especially like to remember Dr. Thomas D. Nicholson (who served as both chairman of the planetarium and later as director of the museum), Helmut K. Wimmer (former art supervisor at the Hayden and an incredible artist), Dr. Kenneth L. Franklin (former astronomer at the Hayden), and Anne Sidamon-Eristoff (former chair of the Board of the Museum).

When Colin Davey contacted me, I realized that there were only a few of us left who knew some of the history and anecdotes about the Hayden. Then we realized that there was also a gap in the printed material about the evolution of the museum. His interest and persistent hard work has created this book, which provides just a glimpse into the history of these marvelous institutions.

Growing up, I loved the museum and the Hayden. I loved working there. Leaving the Hayden and the museum was difficult, but I am fortunate that I still have a love affair with those institutions.