While the Royal Tyrrell Museum is celebrating its first 25 years featuring its 25 most exciting discoveries, Fred Orosz is has created a display featuring some of the human history of the museum.
Orosz began with the museum in 1983, before it opened its doors. He was contracted for six months, and remained at the museum until he retired in 2006. Along the way he has amassed a collection of hundred of artifacts and keepsakes from the museum from its opening day to the modern years. He has assembled them into a collection he calls 25 years of the Tyrrell Museum Education and Fun.“I wanted to show another part of the museum,” said Orosz, with his collection that reflects more of the human history of the museum.
Orosz’s first contract with the Museum was the creation of the exhibits in the Science Hall. These were hands on exhibits that demonstrated scientific principles. He and other toiled away at the former Co-op building, now Reptile World in downtown Drumheller building the exhibits in anticipation of the opening of the museum.
These stayed in the museum for years and thousands and of youngsters have pulled, pushed and squeezed the exhibits, and more importantly learned.
“The kids enjoyed these, they were demonstrations of science, rather than just looking and reading,” said Orosz.
These former exhibits are featured prominently in Orosz’s display. They include the famous swimming squid, the falling bell demonstrating buoyancy, a sorting and settling demonstration and an exhibit demonstrating light refraction.
There is also a extensive collection of newspaper clippings, from everything from opening day to The Great Dinosaur Adventure Expo, in 1990 in Japan, which a number of Tyrrell Museum personnel took part. All of these feature faces from the community passed and present who were involved in the museum.
There is also a collection of promotional items, historic T-shirts, uniforms and even a Tyrrell Terrasaurs slo-pitch team uniform.
Other items that may look familiar is one of the original benches from the gallery and even a display case that Orosz built for his display was constructed from some of the original ash handrails.
Orosz’s display will be at the Drumheller Public Library until the end of June. He hopes it will be displayed at the Royal Tyrrell Museum in September.
