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Show Page A3 - CtC '(Eimgg-f31tbgpgttfte- -- Thursday, May nt 26, 2005 McDowell hanging up museum hat, moving on to new pursuits by Jeannine Wait contributing writer Jean McDowell, Curator of the Dan OLaurie Museum of Moab, has resigned the position she held for 16 years. Known in the community as a dynamo of energy and enthusiasm, McDowell leaves a legacy of service, vision and accomplishment. McDowell became a museum board member soon after her move from Grand Junction to Moab in 1986. At that time Lloyd Pierson served r movie info IFind our Show Times on the Web 24-h- hollywood.com shows before 6 p.m. Starts Friday, May 27 All j Star Wars: Episode 3 JPQ 13 JSat. & items acquired and displayed during McDowells years of leadership include the Anasazi burden basket donated by the Bureau of Land Management and the young people who found it, the player piano donated by Maxine Newells daughter, Janie, and Moabs oldest piano donated by Deone Skewes. More recently, the as the volunteer curator and Nightly 7:00 & 9:30 Sun. Matinees 1:00 & 3 3q Pete Plastow was the president of the museums board of directors. McDowell had a degree in geology and was asked to be on the exhibit committee. Plastow had designing experience museums and would put an exhibit together after McDowell supplied him with the facts, words, articles and artifacts. When Pierson resigned, the museum drifted along with no curator for about six months when the board asked McDowell to take the position. The curators hours were increased from four to 10 per week, and it became a paid position. museum acquired the topographical relief map donated by John Urbanek and a replica of a juvenile Gastonia Burgei dinosaur, which once roamed eastern Utah. McDowells years also saw the start of the publication of Canyon Legacy. A then active Friends of the Museum group started a newsletter, which used to be printed at the telephone company. The During her tenure, the museum acquired new historical items that were often donated by local Friends also started the tradition of the annual dinner. They held yard sales and raised enough money to buy the sheep sculpture located families. New exhibits were designed and built around the changing times and these items. As the museum grew, just outside the building, space was which McDowell playfully accessorized one Christmas season with a red reindeer exhibits were expanded and new ones built. Some of the nose. exhibits were installed under McDowell's direction as curator. The Many Nightly 7:00 49:15 authentic 1907 kitchen room was built and furnished with the heavy old stove and old piano hauled upstairs to a new space carved out of a storage atunatinee0Mj1 Madagascar .Sat. & Nightly 7:00 & 9:00 Sun. Matinees 1 :00 & Gift Certificates Available 580 Kane Creek Blvd Turn at McDonalds! dragonfly gallery 88 e center moab Utah N 5 room. The back room, now the Pierson History Room, was organized into a new time-lin- e unusual photography more than scenery arrangement that displays survey instruments, an old still donated by Lola g McElhaney, equipment used by The Times Independent, old telephone equipment and a brief history of the Pinhook Battle done by Rusty Salmon. Other exhibits McDowell oversaw include the ones on potash, the CCC camps, the 2002 Olympics and the installation of the Mesozoic tryptich. McDowell has seen many changes in Moab and at the museum during her time in charge. The curators job was a big change from the many years she spent in the field of social work, mostly doing psychological counseling in nursing homes and during a stint in Anchorage Alaska at the Booth Memorial Home for Girls. As the curators job grew, McDowell brought on Rusty Salmon to transcribe oral histories, and later, to write and produce the Legacy publication. For 16 years, Jean has been a driving force in creating a museum that all of Moab can be proud of, said Museum of Moab board president Jim Tharpe. Her type-settin- n ttns slip- - '!!;mi .j ft fiflisi iwfth For oil your home health needs Community Nursing Services Experts in Home Care Since 1929 www.cnsvna.org Position Opening RN or LPN part-tim- e. Wages appropriate for level of experience. Call 259-046- 6 for details. Jean McDowell incredible energy and her visit friends, travel and hike McDowell says she is not retiring, she is moving on to other activities Its time for other people to take over as it has been devotion to the museum have made a huge impact on our evolution as an institution. We will miss her and wish her well in the many adventures she will now have time to pursue. And pursue them she will, as she leaves this week to raft the Escalante River in Southern Utah. She plans to history from Dan O Laurie to Lloyd Pierson and to me, McDowell said Another museum board member on commented, Keep You are an Jean trekking inspiration throughout the museums Doug A. Whipple, Ir. fiction BodvtPaint Moab Man! Auto Glass One call does it all! We are Insurance Approved & we handle ALL the paperwork 259-174- SPRING SPECIAL 8 Call Moab Plumbing to have your swamp coolers hooked up for the summer heat, and receive a 10 discount on all parts Fast free mobile window & service up to 100 miles1 NEW labor (April & May) CONSTRUCTION I RESIDENTIAL! FREE ADMISSION! Memorial Weekend (Mm intellectual curiosity, her sty QQXy Must mention ad to receive discount1 COMMERCIAL! 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