The next annual meeting of the Friends will be at Sandy Creek Nature Center on Saturday, August 29, 2026. The meeting will be held in the Walker Hall Complex from 2 to 4PM.

It is not an exaggeration to say that the Georgia Museum of Natural History exists today because of the Friends’ support, though Friends of GMNH often are unaware of the vital role they play.

In 1997, what was then the University of Georgia’s Museum of Natural History faced an uncertain future. On September 28th of that year, Museum Director Joshua Laerm passed away unexpectedly. Josh had served as the Museum’s director since 1978, when the Museum was established by University President Fred Davison with a reporting line to the Vice President for Public Service and Outreach, Eugene “Gene” Younts. Although Josh’s death left the future of the Museum in doubt, Gene and then dean of Franklin College of Arts and Sciences, Wyatt Anderson, appointed me interim director, and subsequently director, of the Museum with a clear mandate to stop being the best kept secret on campus. Specifically, they wanted the Museum to be more engaged with students and the public while advancing plans for what we called “the big building.” To meet these objectives, the Museum needed public support.

On March 22, 1999, with the sponsorship of the University of Georgia and many supporters, the Museum became Georgia’s official state museum of natural history. The previous day, March 21, Jean and David Porter, Gilles Allard, Clairelis Baxter, Jean Westmacott, Roxanne McHugh, Doug and Nancy Clark, Ed Jackson, Mary Stakes, Ann and Murray Blum, and Tim Wahlers formed a committee with the goal of establishing an official citizen support group for the Museum. They were later joined by Samira Hazen, Hans Neuhauser, Lester Stephens, Angela Meltzer, Jim Richardsaon, Nikki Richardson, and Friends Attorney Cecilia Cleveland. After numerous planning sessions, the Friends of the Georgia Museum of Natural History was incorporated on June 8, 1999, adopted bylaws in September, 1999, and received a 501(c)3 tax-exempt ruling in December, 1999. The stated purpose of the Friends of the Georgia Museum of Natural History was, and still is, to support the mission and programs of the Georgia Museum of Natural History by advancing academic and public engagement with the Museum, supporting public service and outreach, providing financial support, and mobilizing resources on behalf of the Museum’s mission and programs. To facilitate these goals, the first Board of Directors was elected on May 7, 2000 at the Friends’ first Annual Meeting, a picnic at Lake Herrick Beach. The first board members were elected at this meeting, and the first official board meeting was held on campus at the Natural History Building on June 13, 2000.

On April 13, 2000, the Friends provided funds for the Museum’s first major public event at the State Botanical Garden, a dinner with a speaker and an auction aptly named “Celebration.” We had much to celebrate: the Museum was the State of Georgia’s natural history museum and the Friends had over 100 members. “Celebration” became an annual event, as the Friends and the Museum continue to celebrate progress toward their shared goals.

Over the next few years, Friends were active in many areas. A Friend’s committee visited other state museums to gather information pertinent for planning the “big building.” They also sponsored monthly programs open to the public. The first of these programs was “Photographing Mushrooms” by Debra Davis, on October 19, 2000. Friends also helped with the Museum’s Open House events (the first one was on September 30, 2000), recruiting docents for these and other GMNH events. They also financed rental of traveling exhibits such as “Fort Mose: Colonial America’s Black Fortress of Freedom” and “The Last 50 Million Years: Paleontology of the Southeast,” in addition to a traveling exhibit on manatees. The “Vanishing Amphibian” exhibit was hosted jointly with Sandy Creek Nature Center. In addition, Friends enjoyed numerous “Friends only” activities, such as canoeing the Altamaha, traveling to the Charleston Museum to see that Museum’s fossil whales, and visiting sea island research stations. They funded renovation of the sloth panel in the Science Library as well as purchasing materials for the gallery and the Science Boxes.

The Friends and the Museum continue to celebrate their accomplishments. In the early years, speakers at Celebration were Museum curators, who spoke of the contributions natural history collections make internationally, nationally, within Georgia, and to the University. In recent years, funds generated by the Friends at Celebration have supported Museum programs through substantial financial contributions.

As the Friends and the Museum approach their third decade together, Friends can take pride in their accomplishments and their contributions to the Museum’s mission. To support the shared missions of the Friends and the Museum please join the Friends or renew your membership so we can continue to celebrate positive steps into the future.

We look forward to seeing you at upcoming Friends and Museum events. The next annual meeting of the Friends will be at Sandy Creek Nature Center on Saturday, August 29, 2026. We will meet in Walker Hall Complex from 2 to 4ish.