Dear friends of the museum,

In my time as Executive Director of the Museum of Natural and Cultural History, I have been privileged to see the full scope of hard work, dedication, and achievement by our staff, scientists, students, and volunteers to bring new research and shared stories to people and communities across Oregon and beyond.

In alignment with our continued efforts, I am thrilled to announce a new endowment, the Thomas J. Connolly Fund for Archaeological and Historical Research and Education. Established by a gift from Thomas Connolly and Patty Krier, the fund honors Dr. Tom Connolly’s 40+ year career as a UO archaeologist, a museum scientist, and the director of our archaeological research program. Endowment proceeds will be used to uncover, celebrate, and share the archaeological and historical stories of Oregon and beyond. Funds will support graduate and undergraduate research activities, cutting-edge scientific field and laboratory investigations, and associated exhibits and educational outreach. The Connolly Fund will help grow our museum activities across the state and region and offer new opportunities to tell the unsung and hidden histories of our state. We are thrilled by Tom and Patty’s generous contribution and the impactful museum work this endowment will support.

Your support can help us build this new endowment and accelerate its impact. Your generous contribution will directly fund programs that allow us to open our doors even wider and deepen our connections with the communities we proudly serve. Will you consider a gift today?

Your gift will support the museum’s continued work. Just this year, our educators toured thousands of local school children through our exhibits and visited thousands more in every corner of our state as part of our summer library program. We hosted Indigenous activists and artists, a panel discussion on Oregon wolves, scientific talks on space exploration, sea otters, Oregon archaeology, and much more. Our Archaeological Research Division continued research on a turn-of-the-century dump in Corvallis, the remnants of an old dairy in central Oregon, and countless exploratory test pits across the state. Our paleontologists published a seminal paper on the beloved spiked-toothed salmon housed in our collections and conducted fieldwork for evidence of Oregon’s 30-million-year-old ecosystems. Our curators taught archaeological field schools in central Oregon and northern California. Our museum is truly an exceptional place!

Continue your support of the work the museum does, both in the classroom and in the field, with a gift before December 31.

Thank you for your unwavering commitment to the Museum of Natural and Cultural History. We take immense pride in the meaningful work of our museum and remain committed to advancing science, promoting planetary health, and championing education of our collective past, present, and future.

Yours sincerely,

Todd Braje

Executive Director

UO Museum of Natural and Cultural History