| Contact:
Jeff Morgan, Jeff.Morgan@iowa.gov,
(515) 281-3858
(DES
MOINES) – Jack Horner, the world-renowned paleontologist
who inspired the lead character and was technical
adviser for “Jurassic Park,” will speak,
sign books and introduce the movie at the State Historical
Museum next week.
Horner’s appearance March 30-31 is in conjunction
with the museum’s “Movies at the Museum”
film series and “Hatching the Past: The Great
Dinosaur Egg Hunt,” an exhibit that explores
the life of dinosaurs through their eggs, nests and
embryos. The State Historical Museum is at 600 E.
Locust Street in Des Moines’ Historic East Village.
Free parking is available in the ramp at Grand and
Penn avenues.
Horner will speak about dinosaur growth and behavior
and sign copies of his sixth book, Digging Up Dinosaurs,
March 30 at 7 p.m., and March 31 at 11 a.m. and 2
p.m. Tickets are $10 and can be purchased at www.iowatix.com
or at the door.
“Jurassic Park” will be screened March
31 at 4 p.m. at the museum with a special introduction
by Horner. Tickets are $5 and can be purchased at
www.iowatix.com
or at the door. Beer, wine, soft drinks and snacks
will be available during the movie.
Based on a novel by Michael Crichton and directed
by Steven Spielberg, “Jurassic Park” takes
place on a remote island where a wealthy entrepreneur
secretly creates a theme park featuring living dinosaurs
drawn from prehistoric DNA. When the park’s
security system breaks down, the prehistoric creatures
break out and the excitement builds to surprising
details. Actor Sam Neill plays Dr. Alan Grant, the
character inspired by Horner. The movie also stars
Laura Dern, Jeff Goldblum, Richard Attenborough and
Samuel L. Jackson. It received three Academy Awards
in 1994.
Horner, curator of paleontology at the Museum of
the Rockies in Bozeman, Mont., and a Montana State
University regents’ professor of paleontology,
was born in 1946. He discovered his first dinosaur
fossil at age eight, the first dinosaur eggs in the
Western Hemisphere and the world’s largest Tyrannosaurus
rex. Estimated to have once weighed between 10 and
13 tons, it is substantially larger than Tyrannosaurus
Sue and has produced many new theories on the ways
these creatures lived.
Due to his struggles with dyslexia, Horner does not
hold a formal college degree. In 1986, however, he
received an honorary doctorate of science from the
University of Montana and was awarded a MacArthur
Fellowship (dubbed by the media as a “genius
grant”).
Today, his research covers a wide range of topics
about dinosaurs, including their behavior, physiology,
ecology and evolution. He has written more than 50
professional papers, 25 popular articles, authored
or co-authored six popular books, co-edited one technical
book, named several new dinosaurs and has had two
dinosaurs named after him – Achelosaurus
horneri and Anasazisaurus horneri.
“Hatching the Past,” open through May
6, takes a rare and “egg”-citing look
at the life of dinosaurs through their eggs, nests
and embryos in this new exhibit, which includes hands-on
activities and an astounding array of authentic dinosaur
eggs and nests collected from all over the globe –
including those in each of the major plant- and meat-eating
dinosaur groups. Admission is $5; children 12 and
younger receive free admission thanks to the support
and underwriting of Wellmark Blue Cross and Blue Shield.
Members of the State Historical Society of Iowa receive
free admission.
The State Historical Society of Iowa is a division
of the Iowa Department of Cultural Affairs and is
a trustee of Iowa’s historical legacy and an
advocate for understanding Iowa’s past. It identifies,
records, collects, preserves, manages and provides
access to Iowa’s historical resources. Its dual
mission of preservation and education serves Iowans
of all ages, conducts and stimulates research, disseminates
information, and encourages and supports historical
preservation and education efforts of others throughout
the state. Visit www.iowahistory.org
or call 515-281-5111 for more information.
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