Resume

QUALIFICATIONS

Over fifty years of experience in almost all phases of research, planning, design, construction, collections management, education, administration, marketing and development for museums. Research concentrations include the archaeological prehistory, history, paleontology and natural history of the Southwestern U.S.

RECENT PROFESSIONAL HISTORY

June 2003 – Present, President and CEO, Legacy Museum Consulting, Walsenburg, CO

June 2019 - Present, Scholar in Residence and Library Coordinator, Trinidad State College, Trinidad, CO

June 2007 – July, 2012, Executive Director, Western Heritage Museum Complex and Lea County

Cowboy Hall of Fame and Director, Southeastern New Mexico Archaeological Research/Resource

Center, the Sanderson Mammoth Site and Professor, New Mexico Junior College, Hobbs, NM

May 2003, Retired as Associate Professor Emeritus and Chairman of the Department of Museum

Studies, Baylor University, Waco, TX

September 1983 – May 2003, Director, Strecker/Mayborn Museum Complex and Chairman/Tenured

Associate Professor Department of Museum Studies, Baylor University, Waco, TX

SIGNIFICANT ACCOMPLISHMENTS

February, 2013 – May, 2015, Accessioned over 5,000 pieces of art from the Doug & Ellen Miller Collection into Past Perfect, took over 20K digitals of their works of art and installed an exhibition of over 400 wood carvings of decoys and decoratives at the Ducks Unlimited national headquarters in Memphis, TN. Then took over 100 pieces plus related canvas art that were exhibited at the Southeastern Wildlife Exposition in Charleston, SC. The resulting research and writing is being incorporated into a three volume book – From Decoys to Decoratives: The Development of America’s Original Art Form

June, 2007 – July, 2012, Executive Director, Western Heritage Museum Complex and Lea County Cowboy Hall of Fame and Director of the Southeastern New Mexico Archaeological Research/Resource Center, the Sanderson Mammoth Site and Professor, New Mexico Junior College, Hobbs, NM
Created the Long Range Master Plan for the Western Heritage Museum and the Lea County Cowboy Hall of Fame
Expanded the physical facilities into a Complex which includes the Western Heritage Museum, the Lea County Cowboy Hall of Fame, the Southeastern New Mexico Archaeological Research/Resource Center, the Llano Estacado and Queracho Plains Nature Trails and the proposed Oil Field Workers Memorial
Established a logo, slogan, brochures, quarterly newsletter, new signage, billboard, collections management procedures, board handbook, gift shop, library, website, traveling exhibitions, docent training, film series, distinguished lecturers, book signings, a summer archaeological camp for young people, volunteer and donor recognition, membership program, endowments and sponsorships, facilities usage, annual in-house exhibitions and special events and organized the Southeastern New Mexico Archaeological Society and the Southeastern New Mexico Museum Association
Served as board member for the Lea County Commission on the Arts, the Convention and Tourism Committee for the Hobbs Chamber of Commerce, Historical Society of New Mexico and as Chair of the Culture and Arts Standing Committee for New Mexico Junior College and Chaired the Lea County Statehood Centennial Committee coordinating the, “Cattle Drive of the Century” and the, “Centennial Pony Express Ride”
Continued, for the 35th year, the “Just Musin’” column for the Lea County Tribune and the Hobbs News-Sun plus several publications for professional journals including the Historical Society of New Mexico, the Southwestern Federation of Archaeological Societies and the Historical Waco Foundation and a series of ten articles on the “Events That Shaped Southeastern New Mexico” and “The 100 Year Ranches of Southeastern New Mexico” for Bits and Pieces
Raised funding and in-kind services for the Brian Norwood sculpture, “Cowboy With A Full Loop”, a sculptured logo for the front of the facility, the relocation of the 1930’s EMSCO derrick and Lufkin pumping jack and major traveling exhibitions including, Water’s Extreme Journey and Prehistoric Beasts of the Ice Age that for the past two springs had over 5,000 area school children attend in a three month period each year
Accepted and relocated the Linam Ranch Museum which is being exhibited on a regular rotating basis
Held several symposia including, “Water, Water Everywhere, But Will There Be A Drop to Drink?”, the 46th Annual Symposium of the Southwestern Federation of Archaeological Societies and co-hosted the Sesquicentennial New Mexico History Conference for the Historical Society of New Mexico and taught, History of New Mexico and Stewardship Archaeology

February, 1983 – June, 2003 Director of the Strecker/Mayborn Museum Complex and Professor and Chair of the Department of Museum Studies and Director of the Waco Mammoth Site, Baylor University, Waco, Texas
Increased average annual Museum Studies enrollment from 1 to 50, changed all the one hour courses to three hours and upgraded the pre-professional program to a professional major in 1984
Established the Master's degree program in Museum Studies and the Department of Museum Studies under the College of Arts and Sciences in 1993, serving as Chair until retirement in 2003
Raised funds to do a long range master plan, schematic design and design development for the new museum complex including over $4 M in cash contributions for special projects and endowments and over $1 M in in-kind donations of services and materials through 1996
Initiated the Capital Campaign and completed the final design for the Mayborn Museum Complex in 1997 which resulted in a $23M, 143,000 square foot structure adjacent to the Gov. Bill and Vara Daniel Historic Village, to house the Strecker Museum, the Ollie Mae Moen Discovery Center, and the Department of Museum Studies
Directed the relocation and restoration of the Gov. Bill and Vara Daniel Historic Village, over 20 structures and 6,000 artifacts, over 250 miles from northern Liberty County to the Baylor University campus as part of the Texas Sesquicentennial in 1986
Established the Strecker Museum Occasional Papers series and created a publications and library endowment
Assisted with the production of the Mac ACCESSION© computer program for museum collections designed to be user friendly and affordable to small museums which is now being used in over 100 museums in the United States
Established the Strecker Associates, an awareness and participatory organization to promote the museum complex and support its programs and activities
Directed excavations from 1983 – 2002 at the Waco Mammoth Site resulting in the largest concentration of extinct proboscideans dying from the same event known to science

August, 1982 – December, 1982, Consultant, Dr Pepper Museum and Free Enterprise Institute, Waco, TX
Prepared a five-year Master Plan for the new museum and Free Enterprise Institute to be housed in the original Dr Pepper bottling plant after its restoration. The study included exhibit design and sequence, traffic flow, case furniture, adaptive use of existing and new building elements, collection goals and resources, interpretative programs, educational opportunities and special activities, audio-visual presentations, budget and mobile van design

August, 1979 – July, 1982, Director, Arkansas Museum Services, Little Rock, AR
Established a central assistance and information resource for all museum personnel in the state
Planned, coordinated, and administered the overall operations of the Division of Museum Services, the Oil Heritage Center, the Prairie County Museum, the Mid-America Center Museum and the concept of the Woodlands Heritage Museum and Resource Center, and the Ozark Heritage Center
Supervised the establishment of a statewide Grants-in-Aid program and the initial design, development and collections for the Oil Heritage Center and created legislation for the Woodlands Heritage Center

September, 1975 – August, 1979, Director of Museum Services, Adjunct Professor of Anthropology, Lamar University, Beaumont, TX
Worked with the President, faculty, staff, students and general public to organize and implement a program of Museum Services for Lamar University to serve Southeast Texas as a regional educational institution
Supervised the reconstruction of a 14-building outdoor museum, Gladys City Boomtown, for the City of Beaumont's Bicentennial gift to the State and Nation which was entrusted to Lamar University on the 75th Anniversary of the Lucas Gusher, January 10, 1976, to ensure its existence as a permanent educational facility
Moved the collections of the Spindletop Memorial Museum from the Amelia Campus to the Educational Services Center and renovated the abandoned Spindletop Elementary School on the Lamar University Campus opening to the public on April 8, 1978
Relocated the Lucas Gusher National Landmark, a 58-foot granite obelisk, to a permanent site near the proposed new museum complex and began archaeological investigations at what had been Guffey, Texas on the original site of the Spindletop oilfield
Initiated a Cultural Awareness Series bringing quality programs, demonstrations and exhibitions about our past including, “Under the Oak Tree”, Saturday morning presentations for children
Organized and hosted a professional symposium, A New Approach to History: The Challenge of Minority Views in Museums Today”
Started a publications program which included: The Pattillo Higgins Series of Natural History and Anthropology; The Nancy Nixon Tevis Series of History and Genealogy and The Anthony F. Lucas Series of Geology and Petroleum Engineering
Organized the Southeast Texas Museums Association and sponsored quarterly seminars for professionals and volunteers of regional museums
Conducted a monthly 30 minute television program featuring Museum Services for Lamar University
Taught three courses in museology under the Department of Humanities in the College of Fine and Applied Arts

January, 1974 – August, 1975, Director of Educational Services, Texas Memorial Museum, the University of Texas, Austin, TX
Organizing, planning, supervising, and working with kindergarten through college-level classes, special interest groups, and the general public to make their visits to the museum more meaningful and rewarding
Established the first docent program ever offered by the museum and initiated a sequence of specific tours in cooperation with the Austin Independent School District, allowing better implementation of the museum's facilities and collections by supplementing material encountered in the classroom and by making available new and different experiences for each grade level and special programs for disabled students
Coordinated and instructed the museum studies curriculum, averaging more than 60 students a semester that included two introductory classes and an advanced topics course which enabled participants to plan and complete exhibits or to serve as interns within the diversified disciplines encompassed by the museum

EDUCATION

M.S., Biology, Eastern New Mexico University, 1974

B.S., Anthropology, Eastern New Mexico University, 1970

B.S., Zoology, Eastern New Mexico University, 1970

CURRENT PROFESSIONAL MEMBERSHIPS

American Association of Museums

Mountain-Plains Museums Association

Texas Association of Museums

AWARDS AND RECOGNITION

Eagle Scout, Explorer Silver Award, Organizer's Award, Boy Scouts of America

Beta Beta Beta Honorary Biological Society

Archaeologist of the Year, Archaeological Society of New Mexico and also Eastern New Mexico University

Outstanding Professional Award and President's Award, Texas Association of Museums

National Medal of Honor, Daughters of the American Revolution

Marquis Who's Who in America

Citation for Service to the Community, State of Texas House of Representatives

Hospitality Award, City of Waco, TX

Community Builder Award, Masonic Grand Lodge of Texas

Distinguished Former Odessan, Heritage Foundation of Odessa, TX

Governor Bill Daniel Statesmanship Award, State Bar of Texas

Recognition of 40 Years of Service to Museums by the CAF Airpower Museum

Inducted into the Baylor University Hall of Fame as a recipient of the W. R. White Meritorious Service Award

Paul Harris Fellow, Rotary Club, Hobbs, NM

PRESENTATIONS, PROJECTS, PUBLICATIONS, PARTICIPATION, SERVICE

Hundreds of public and professional programs; numerous professional consultations including the Museum Assessment Program for the Institute of Museum Services and the Accreditation Committee and Chair of COMPT for the American Association of Museums; over three dozen publications; taught over 150 courses resulting in 150 graduates; produced over a dozen major exhibitions; served on many boards and currently in the planning stages for two major international exhibitions

AREAS OF RESEARCH AND INTEREST

1.) Archaeology – extensive field and laboratory work, concentrating on Paleo-Americans and a prehistoric sequence based on the material culture of southeastern New Mexico and western Texas

2.) Ecology – extensive field and laboratory work on the vertebrates of the Southwestern U. S. particularly

related to sand dune regions

3.) Paleontology – extensive field and laboratory work on the late Pleistocene mammals with emphasis on mammoths and their comparative behavior with modern proboscideans

4.) History – primarily the Southwestern U.S. especially the Spanish Contact, Conquest and Colonial Periods

5.) Western and wildlife art and photography with several shows and awards for the latter.