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Haynes and Boone Backs Museum of Nature & Science’s Corporate Council

More good news for the Museum of Nature & Science and it involves Haynes and Boone! No, the museum is not in need of any legal assistance. Think philanthropy.

Last Thursday it was announced at a reception that Haynes and Boone will be the museum’s first presenting sponsor of the museum’s Corporate Council, “an advisory board that helps connect local businesses and the community with the museum.”

Photo: Jason Janik

According to the museum’s VP of Development Hal Rose (pictured second from the left with, from the left, Emily Snooks, Sara Vale and Noel Shastid), “Our Corporate Council is comprised of a powerful set of professionals that apply their expertise and connections to further our cause. Haynes and Boone’s support allows us to bring these influential people together and ultimately deliver more STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) education opportunities to kids.”

Photo credit: Jason Janik

Speaking of kids, there were a bunch of them at the event. A pre-teen group of Dallas-area kids, XS NRG (pictured), reprised their FIRST LEGO League Competition  robotic performance that won them first place. According to one mom-type who attended the event, “These are the most articulate, sweet, fun kids who just happen to be brilliant to boot. They used words like ‘ultra-capacitor’ and ‘zero-sum’ when describing ‘strategies they considered’ for their various projects.”

The XS-ers had also researched sustainable solutions for reducing jet plane fuel inefficiencies at Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport and cited their estimated economic-, airline-ticket-price-, and environmental-impact nationwide.

Gee, maybe one of these kiddos could connect our TiVo for us.

How about some factoids about the future museum digs, which will open in late 2012/early 2013? Take a jump and learn some to impress your friends: (more…)

Holocaust Authority Elliott Dlin Died Today

Photo provided by Memnosyne Foundation

We regret to report that Dallas Holocaust Museum/Center for Education and Tolerance Director Elliott Dlin died today of a heart attack. “Elly” was internationally renowned as one of the leading experts on the Holocaust.

Just a week ago Tuesday, he was part of a panel discussion at SMU on the newly-established Texas Holocaust and Genocide Commission.

May he rest in peace.

Panel Meets to Discuss Texas Holocaust and Genocide Commission

When you say, “holocaust,” you think of a bygone era during the 40′s across the sea in Europe. The 21st century and Texas don’t even enter the equation, right? Not quite.

Last Tuesday at SMU, the Dallas Holocaust Museum/Center for Education and Tolerance joined forces with the Memnosyne Foundation Center for Interfaith Inquiry to discuss “History That Moves Texans Forward.” The purpose was to explore the thinking behind the newly-established Texas Holocaust and Genocide Commission.

According to organizers,

“the commission is significant because by law, the commission — considered the most important development in Holocaust education in Texas in years — is to help preserve information and experiences of the Holocaust and other genocide events.”

The commission is slated to work with organizations, agencies, museums, survivors, and liberators to preserve and provide information and experiences, as well as coordinate memorial events within the state.

Photo by Steve Foxall

Our own State Sen. Florence Shapiro co-sponsored the commission’s legislation and was part of the panel that included Texas Holocaust and Genocide Commission Chairman Peter Berkowitz, Dallas Holocaust Museum/Center for Education and Tolerance Museum Director Elliott Dlin, and University of Dallas Associate Professor of Psychology Dr. Amy Fisher-Smith (pictured right with, from the left, Memnosyne Foundation founder Mary Ann Thompson-Frenk, Berkowitz, Rena Pederson, Shapiro, and Dlin.)

Texas Tribune Editor/CEO Evan Smith was originally scheduled to moderator the panel, but that snowstorm that missed Dallas hit Austin and prevented Evan from attending. Luckily, journalist/author/Communications Director for the National Math and Science Initiative Rena Pederson stepped in at the last moment to fill Evan’s shoes.

Last Call For The Chase For Millions!

Tomorrow is the last day to register your vote for nonprofits that might get a chunk of the Chase Community Giving’s $5M. Local charities that we’ve heard in the running are TACA and the Museum of Nature & Science.

Now wouldn’t it  be quite lovely to have some of that lovely Chase money end up here in Biggest D?

Ah, The Best-Laid Schemes Of Mice And Men and Event Organizers

Dallas event organizers for outdoor events know from the start that they’re playing a game of Russian roulette with Mother Nature. The good folks involved with last night’s 2009 Dinner in the Wild Construction Zone gala recognized that a gala at the new site of the Perot Museum of Nature and Science was tempting fate in November, so mammoth adjoining tents were erected just to be on the safe side. And smart the organizers were. Because as the days got closer, rain and chilly temperatures were in the forecast for the Thursday night soiree. No doubt, they counted their lucky stars for the decision to proceed with the tents. But then, great news! The rain would not hit until after the party. Whew! Missed that bullet, so let’s proceed with the action.  (more…)

Never Send A FrontBurnie To Cover A SweetCharity Assignment

One of the reasons that SweetCharity is hesitant about sending others to report on events is that. . . well, they just seem to miss the good stuff. The stuff that you like so much. For instance, today SweetCharity could not make the groundbreaking of the Museum of Nature and Science at Victory Park, so she arranged to have a FrontBurnie to attend the event.  Here is his report:

• A steel-drum band welcomed attendees at the bash today (picture).
• Other pic is Nicole Small, president and CEO of the museum.
• In the crowd: Pierce and Allie Beth Allman, Carol Reed (she has the PR contract), John Crawford, developer John Sughrue (sp?) –Said state Rep. Dan Branch, addressing the crowd: “It kind of feels like “Jurassic Park” comes to Victory Park.”
• Caraway said: “Dallas today scores more points. We continue to put points on the board.”

The above info was provided with typos and grammatical errors nicely intact.

This situation will be reviewed with the blogger later, but for now let the SweetCharity home team try to salvage the event with what we’ve been able to pry out of the reluctant FB cub reporter. (more…)