The Museum

I remember when I first moved to Lubbock, one of the first things I did was go to the Museum of Texas Tech http://www.depts.ttu.edu/museumttu/. It had a powerful display of the destruction that occurred during the May 11, 1970 tornado that was very destructive and killed many people. (I moved to Lubbock in 1977, and people talked about the tornado as if it had happened last week or last month.)  It also had a wonderful display of the "Llano Estacado" and the early explorations by Coronado.

Over the years, I have spent less time than I should have at the Museum...They have permanent and traveling displays.  About a year and a half ago, a colleague of mine mentioned that he had been to an exhibit at the Museum... Hmmm. I went, it was good.  About the same time, I saw an advertisement about a series of nature films, promoting the Yellowstone to Yukon Conservation Initiative http://www.y2y.net/.  The premise is that establishing a wildlife corridor between the Yellowstone and the Yukon will allow species to travel safely between the two territories in response to changes in climate, food supply, and other factors.  The corrider would allow the creatures to naturally adapt to changes in circumstances by moving between the two areas, and foster better maintenance of species.  

I have been back to the museum several times since then, when I hear about an exhibit. Or, today, because it sounded like a good thing to do.  I checked the website, and was interested in the patent model exhibit. I had previously seen the photograph of dogs exhibit. The playtime memories exhibit also sounded interesting.  When I got to the museum, the docent also mentioned an exhibit on trains.  I really enjoyed that...It included a PBS show, probably filmed in 2001, that presented information about railroad stations in Pennsylvania, that have been salvaged and revitalized.  It was very good.

Another museum of Texas Tech is the National Ranching Heritage Center http://www.depts.ttu.edu/ranchhc/.  I really enjoy that museum, and go about once a year or at least every other year.   They have days when they have re-enactors who share information about the museum exhibits.  They have Candlelight at the Ranch, in December.  They line the paths with luminarias http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Luminaria and have re-enactors at the various buildings.

Perhaps my most favored Texas Tech Museum is the Lubbock Lakesite Landmark
http://www.depts.ttu.edu/museumttu/lll/index.html.  This museum is established at the site of an archeological dig.  I think I like this museum the best because in addition to the interpretive center, there are hiking trails.  And they have some special days when they have demonstrations and exhibits. 

Lubbock has other museums, not associated with the Texas Tech Museum. The most notable in my mind is the Silent Wings Museum http://www.silentwingsmuseum.com/info.htm.  This museum commemorates the glider pilots who served in World War II.

And, there is the Buddy Holly Center http://www.buddyhollycenter.org/. Shamefully, the City of Lubbock backed this project, which involved ruining the Lubbock Railroad Depot (which is the shameful part, and which was a restaurant that really exhibited the character of a railroad station, and changed it into a tasteless building. The Buddy Holly Museum is fine, but there is no evidence of the beautiful railroad station.)

Additionally, there is the Science Spectrum http://www.sciencespectrum.org/new/home.shtml.  This was started with an infusion of city money, as was the Buddy Holly Center, due to the influence of politics in the city. But it is really a neat museum, with a permanent exhibit of the Brazos River, and some wonderful "perpetual motion machines."   Additionally, it has an Omnimax Theater.  And, the National Weather Service in Lubbock has its offices in the same building. 

So, in the course of your life, do not forget the museum.  Museums help us to remember what is important.  They help us to learn from the present and the past.  Museums cover many subjects: history, art, science, the military, wildlife, natural history, animals to name a few.  They have more information than we can absorb, and they often change and grow.  This is good.  We learn from the past, and the more museums can help us, the more we can learn about ourselves and others.