The Honorable Jo Ann Davis
Extension of Remarks
June 6, 2006
Dear Mr. Speaker,
I would like to congratulate the Virginia Living Museum on its 40th anniversary. I am proud to represent this unique museum in Newport News, VA. As a mother, I took my sons to the museum when they were younger, and I have seen its impressive growth and expansion through the years.
In 1966, the Warwick, VA, Rotary Club and the Junior League of Hampton Roads, VA, spearheaded a community effort to launch the Junior Nature Museum and Planetarium in Newport News, VA. The museum was opened with the goal of helping adults and children learn to cherish living things and develop a genuine desire to protect and preserve our natural heritage.
In 1987 the museum became the first living museum east of the Mississippi, and changed its name to the Virginia Living Museum. In 2004, the Virginia Living Museum completed a $22.6 million expansion in order to serve more Virginians with science education programs and exhibits, as well as introducing visitors to more plants and animals than would be encountered in a lifetime of outdoor activities in Virginia.
Over the past 40 years, the Virginia Living Museum has reached more than 2 million students with its hands-on science education programs. These programs are correlated to Virginia's Standards of Learning and help attract students to all of the sciences. In all, more than 4 million visitors have visited the museum, and the museum has taken a leadership role in educating these visitors about ways to conserve valuable natural resources.
The Virginia Living Museum's programs have been endorsed by the National Science Foundation, the U.S Department of Education, and the Virginia Department of Education. Currently, the museum's education staff has more than 100 years of collective experience, and it is among the only 30% of all museums in the United States accredited by the American Association of Museums.
I would like to honor the Virginia Living Museum on its 40th Anniversary. I truly appreciate everything the Museum does for our community and for the Commonwealth, and I wish it many more years of continued success.
