The Brazos Valley Museum of Natural History announces the premiere of its exclusive in-house exhibit, Fossil Fever: The Legacy of Mark Francis, on display from Aug. 23 through Jan. 20, 2020. This exhibit, designed by Dr. Rebecca Ingram, museum curator, highlights the contributions of Dr. Mark Francis, the story of the A&M Museum, and specimens from the museum's collection, alongside fossils and artifacts borrowed from the Texas Vertebrate Paleontology Collections, The Veterinary Collections of the Texas A&M University Medical Sciences Library, the Francis Family, the S.M. Tracy Herbarium, and Cushing Memorial Library and Archives.
On Friday, Aug. 23, at 6:30pm the public is invited to free opening festivities with a presentation by Matthew Brown, director of the Texas Vertebrate Paleontology Collections. A reception featuring wine, appetizers, live music by the Scott Kunkle Quartet, and gallery viewing will follow.
Brown directs the collections, laboratories, libraries, and archives in vertebrate paleontology and zoology at the Jackson School Museum of Earth History. He manages the museum functions of the collections in support of the research of 47 University of Texas faculty, students, and research associates. The collections and archives have approximately 200 external research visitors per year, more than 2,000 active requests for specimen loans or archive searches, and with nearly two million specimens, are one of the largest vertebrate paleontology collections in North America. Brown has an extensive background in fossil preparation, paleontological resource management, innovative paleontology laboratory methods, and was founder of the Association for Materials and Methods in Paleontology.
Francis was a well-known figure at Texas A&M University. Starting in 1888, he was the school’s first professor of veterinary science and a leading researcher in the fight against Texas Fever. Alongside his many accomplishments in veterinary medicine, Francis was a self-taught paleontologist who collected numerous Texas fossils, forming the basis of the first museum at the A&M College of Texas.
This in-house exhibit explores the life and work of Francis, highlighting his lasting contributions to Texas A&M, his discoveries in paleontology, and the story of the A&M Museum. Visitors to this exclusive exhibit will explore antique veterinary equipment, ancient fossils, and rarely seen historic images of Texas A&M.
The Brazos Valley Museum of Natural History is committed to promoting science and cultural and natural history with the integration of art in exhibits and educational programs. This exhibit was made possible in part through Hotel Tax Revenue funded from the City of College Station and the City of Bryan through the Arts Council of Brazos Valley. For more information call (979) 776-2195.
