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David Koch '58 Funds Hall in Smithsonian
October 20, 2009 | David Koch, Class of 1958 and Trustee Emeritus has made a gift to the Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History to fund a new exhibition hall devoted to human evolution. The David H. Koch Hall of Human origins will open in March of 2010. The exhibition hall cost $20.7 million, and it's opening coincides with the 100th anniversary of the museum's official opening.
A press release from the Smithsonian says,
"The opening of this hall represents one of the most significant public and scientific achievements in the 100-year history of the museum. Our goal is to provide visitors and online guests with an exciting educational experience that will encourage them to explore for themselves the scientific discoveries about what it means to be human.
The hall is named for David H. Koch, a pre-eminent American philanthropist, chemical engineer and executive vice president of Koch Industries Inc., whose gift has enabled the museum to create the new hall. 'Remarkable advances in the understanding of human evolution are taking place at the Smithsonian Institution as part of the Human Origins Initiative,' said Koch. 'The program has the power to influence the way we view our identity as humans, not only today, but for generations to come. I am happy to offer this gift as an indication of the importance it holds in my own life and the significance I feel it offers the whole of humankind.'"
To learn more about the Hall of Human Origins, visit humanorigins.si.edu.
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