Press Release - Gems and Minerals 10/01/2006 - Texas Natural Science Center

On display will be 100 specimens collected from all over the world by the late Col. E.M. Barron (1903-1969), a former Texas legislator [ House 42-43rd district (1931-1935)] who also served under General Douglas MacArthur in Australia during WWII.

Included in the exhibit will be a 925-carat blue topaz crystal from Mason County, Texas, along with magnificent specimens of azurite, cinnabar and wulfenite, delicate leaf gold, unusual copper in calcite, and sparkling crystals of cerussite, among others.

Barron lived in El Paso where he owned a gem and mineral business called "Southern Gem and Mineral Company." He acquired some remarkable specimens for his private collection, the bulk of which came to UT-Austin as a bequest upon his death in 1969.

The Texas Natural Science Center at The University of Texas at Austin encourages awareness of biological diversity through research, exhibits, and educational/outreach and is made up of the Texas Memorial Museum, the Vertebrate Paleontology Lab, the Non-vertebrate Paleontology Lab, and the Texas Natural History Collections. Our leading-edge research in the disciplines of paleontology, geology, biology, herpetology, ichthyology and entomology has amassed a collection of 5.7 million specimens. The collection was built over 60 years of effort by scientists from across Texas and beyond, and represents a societal investment of more than $1.5 billion. All exhibits and educational/outreach programs are based on these specimens, most of which are from Texas and many of which are unique and irreplaceable. Programming spotlights dinosaurs and fossils, Texas wildlife, and gems and minerals. We welcome more than 75,000 visitors to our exhibit hall, the Texas Memorial Museum, annually. We are the leader in science education enrichment for Central Texas, with community outreach including school presentations reaching 700+ K-12 students each semester, public events that draw more than 8,000 visitors annually, partnerships with other science organizations, and a website featuring virtual exhibits with educational materials for teachers and leading-edge research data.
For more information, please visit our website: www.TexasNaturalScienceCenter.org.