The Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History (SBMNH) honored Michael Glassow, John Powell, Peter Sawyer and Paul Wieckowski with Legacy Awards during its recent Leadership Circles of Giving Dinner.
The 16th annual event recognized the generosity of Leadership Circles members and key donors who helped sustain the SBMNH’s and Sea Center’s work during the past year.
Glassow, UCSB professor emeritus, has work with the museum’s department of anthropology since the 1970s. His contributions to archaeological literature, often made in partnership with the museum, are foundational to the current understanding of how the Chumash ancestors inhabited and adapted to the natural world of this region for thousands of years.
Glassow remains involved in research and publication, and recently authored a forthcoming book-length overview of the archaeology of the Central Coast, written for a popular audience.
“This will be the first work of its kind in almost a century, collecting the vast body of knowledge accumulated in the field since the museum’s first curator of anthropology, David Banks Rogers, published ‘Prehistoric Man of the Santa Barbara Coast’ in 1929,” SBMNH said.
Powell, a geologist, has stewarded the legacy of noted geologist Thomas W. Dibblee, Jr. to the benefit of science, industry, and the public interest. In over 60 years of active mapping, Dibblee mapped the geology of over a quarter of California.
Serving for 30 years on the board of the Dibblee Foundation, Powell has worked with SBMNH to publish Dibblee’s compilation of maps in digital and print formats.
Powell has repeatedly joined forces with the museum to bring geologic knowledge to life, including field trips to areas like Carrizo Plain National Monument, where trip participants could actually straddle the tectonic plates on both sides of the San Andreas Fault.
Sawyer, an educator, has volunteered at the Sea Center for 16 years. He taught at the Thacher School until 2009, and upon retirement transferred his teaching skills to the Sea Center’s marine exhibits.
“A familiar face on the Wet Deck, Sawyer generously shares his enthusiasm and patience with countless Sea Center guests, supported by his background in biology and ecology,” SBMNH said. “He loves to help guests — some of whom return many times for repeated exchanges — discover the wonders of marine life right below their feet on Stearns Wharf.”
“Visitors are amazed at how much information and wonder is packed into such a ‘little’ aquarium,” Sawyer said. “The tide pool exhibition and the Wet Deck rival the experiences our guests would get at the most prestigious facilities.”
Wieckowski was instrumental in building the structure that creates those learning opportunities. A longtime leader of Frank Schipper Construction Co., Wieckowski recalls needing to wear not just a hard hat, but a life vest during construction of the Sea Center on Stearns Wharf.
Walking across narrow I-beams over the water with this unique combination of PPE is one of many memorable moments for Wieckowski across a career full of updates and improvements to unique Santa Barbara spaces.
“Paul has gotten to know every inch of the museum and Sea Center from the inside out,” said Salvatore Milazzo, SBMNH Board chair. “With a century of history behind the organization, community contributors like Wieckowski and the other honorees are preparing the museum and Sea Center to serve for the next 100 years.”
Leadership Circles members play a critical role in supporting all facets of the Natural History Museum and Sea Center’s work, including education, research, exhibits, collections, and accessibility initiatives.
For more about Leadership Circles, visit sbnature.org/leadership-circles. More about SBMNH can be found at sbnature.org.