[Congressional Record Volume 152, Number 135 (Friday, December 8, 2006)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E2141]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




  IN HONOR OF ROCKFORD, IL, BURPEE MUSEUM FOR RECEIVING TWO AMERICAN 
                      ASSOCIATION OF MUSEUM AWARDS

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. DONALD A. MANZULLO

                              of illinois

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, December 6, 2006

  Mr. MANZULLO. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the Burpee 
Museum of Natural History in Rockford, IL. The Burpee museum is a 
remarkable cultural institution that has received two prestigious 
American Association of Museum-AAM-Awards. Both of these awards are for 
the Jane: Diary of a Dinosaur exhibit at the museum, which opened to 
outstanding reviews in June 2005.
  The museum submitted entries in two categories: Overall Exhibit 
Excellence and the MUSE Award for the use of media and technology in 
the Jane exhibit. Burpee received the Exhibit Excellence Award, which 
is considered the museum profession's highest honor. It also received 
an Honorable Mention MUSE award for Jane's interactive Meet the 
Researcher video.
  Lew Crampton, Burpee president and CEO, accepted the awards at the 
AAM's 100th International Conference in Boston in the company of 7,000 
other museum profession delegates from around the world. Judges who 
presented the awards to Mr. Crampton praised Burpee, stating the 
``whole project was so solid . . . and you just did everything right . 
. . your work could and should serve as a model to other institutions 
(including much larger ones) as a way to create an excellent exhibit.''
  Jane's exhibit is a reflection of the dedication and professional 
excellence that is demonstrated by the personnel at Burpee. Burpee's 
personnel overcame three daunting tasks in order to successfully create 
the exhibit. First, after transporting Jane from Montana to the museum 
lab, Jane's 66 million-year-old bones were carefully removed from the 
rocks in which they were embedded. Second, identifying Jane's place in 
the dinosaur family tree presented a unique challenge because many 
scientists consulted in the process disagreed on this matter. Finally, 
in the midst of the first two tasks, Burpee's personnel had to consider 
how to create an exhibit that would be able to bridge the gap between 
science education and family enjoyment.
  Mr. Speaker, I wish to extend my recognition and support of the 
Burpee Museum of Natural History in Rockford, IL. Since its founding in 
May of 1942 as a part of the Works Progress Administration, the mission 
of Burpee has been to inspire all people to engage in a lifetime of 
learning about the natural world, and they have been very successful in 
doing so. To this day, Burpee reaches out to the public through its 
creative event programming and excellent education offerings for 
educators, families, and other members of the local community. Burpee 
is a prime example for other cultural institutions across the country, 
and I am honored to recognize the museum and its personnel here today.

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