HCC Dinosaur Exhibit Articles

• Dinosaur Display to Open Soon
• Dinosaur Arouses Criticism and Praise
• Dinosaurs Back From Summer Vacation

January 29, 1988
Dinosaur Display to Open Soon
by Sally Wong

The excitement began on November 29, 1987. That was the day, after two years of planning, when American Studies Instructor Rick Ziegler, who serves as project coordinator, greeted the two large crates that contained the future and only Dinosaur Exhibit in Hawaii. The Building 2 elevator couldn't be used because the dinosaurs weighed over 1200 pounds. The dinosaurs had to be hand-carried upstairs.

The exhibit arrived unassembled. The only instructions came from a piece of paper that had a couple of diagrams that showed what to do.

The real problem was how to hold the dinosaur pieces together. This was solved through the use of pipes and welded rods. Jeffery Lane, welding instructor, made a cradle to hold two pieces of the dinosaur's spine in place. George Kailikane, machine shop instructor, cut the pipes and Harry Kawamura, assistant dean of instruction, did the pipe bending.

Some materials also used were fiberglass mold and wire, which was to be hidden from the public. The exhibit was assembled in about three weeks. There is a little bit of work that has yet to be done. Lights still have to be installed.

I went to see the display. I came in not knowing much about dinosaurs and left knowing a lot. For instance, the three ton Stegosaurus had a very small brain, had five toes on each front foot and only three toes each on the hind legs.

Behind this dinosaur in a mural backdrop of a Jurassic swamp done by Stan Oganeku.

The Tyrannosaurus Rex weighed about five tons and was the largest meat-eating animal that ever lived. I wouldn't want to meet that dinosaur at all, he might swallow me whole.

The Triceratops had three horns for defense. If those sharp horns faced me, I would turn and run as fast as I could. This dinosaur was the heaviest of the three, about 7 tons.

Mary Hart, a student, took here three-and-a-half year-old daughter Nani, to see the exhibit. The little girl's eyes widened as she gazed at the Stegosaurus. She told her mother she wasn't afraid of the dinosaur.

Two days later, a group of children from the Child Care Lab went to see the exhibit. I asked which dinosaur they liked the best and why.

Sarah Gosney, a four-year-old, said she loved the Triceratops, because the second syllable of that dinosaur's name sounded like her first name.

"I like the teeth," said four-year-old Trumaine Oto, who told me that his choice was the Tyrannosaurus Rex.

Jennifer Venezia and Terry Ireland, both former student government leaders, were the ones that came up with the proposal for a dinosaur exhibit during the spring semester of 1986. They also presented the idea to the Student Academic Advisory Committee.

A student petition drive along with support from the administration, the faculty, and ASHCC made the exhibit possible. The display was purchased for about $22,000. The funding was provided from the Student Activities Surplus Fund.

Keep in mind the process involved in making a replica of a dinosaur. The dinosaur skeleton had to be cast in its original form, then molded by hand. In other words, the dinosaur consists of a handcrafted piece of work. It took long hours to work with each piece.

I asked Ziegler why we have a dinosaur exhibit. He said that the exhibit will be an educational exhibit, a teaching tool for all.

Ziegler added, "The dinosaur display is a committment to science. People will want to see the exhibit. It will stimulate interest in science."

He also told me that I could learn a great deal, not only about the dinosaur, but also about other sciences.

"Think of the exhibit as a gift from the students of HCC to the children of Hawaii," was Ziegler's final remark.

The official opening and dedication of the exhibit will be at 10 a.m. on February 8, the first day of HCC Week.

The display is located on the second floor of Building 2. The public viewing schedule is as follows: Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Fridays between the hours of 11:30 a.m. and 2:30 p.m.

February 26, 1988
Dinosaur Arouses Criticism and Praise
by Del Naipo

The dinosaur proposal came late in the Spring of 1986 and went through the usual procedure and approval from the ASHCC Student Senate and the Director of Student Services to the Provost.

The proposal allocated funds from the Student Activity Fee Surplus Fund, money accumulated over a span of several years, Two years an roughly $25,000 later, some are happy, and some are grumbling.

Rick Ziegler, a social science instructor and the dinosaur project's coordinator, is optimistic. In a recent interview, he gave much insight into the project's paleontological mystique.

He revealed that the dinosaur idea came way before the Dino Craze had hit Hawaii's shores.

"This is no expensive fad," he began.

"Often we'd write on the science department budget: one bunsen burner, a few test tubes, one dinosaur," said Ziegler, "and always 'one dinosaur' got red-lined out."

But finally, after much red tape and a student petition containing more than 400 signatures, the order went through.

Three major purposes justified the project:

1. To enhance the science curriculum at HCC.
2. To improve HCC's image to the community and bring in prospective students.
3. To unite all those at the college in a single project.

Others echo Ziegler's views. Marcia Morse, a commercial art instructor and division chair, sees the display as highly educational and even a work of art.

"The dinosaur says that here at HCC, slightly weird things happen," she said with a smile.

"It's the only one in the state," reported John Blumhardt, Director of the Educational Media Center. He went on to describe the vast range of students, faculty, and community members involved in the project's construction from start to finish.

"There's definitely a good feeling towards the display," stated Blumhardt.

Ziegler summed up, "It's our gift to the islands."

But some are critical of this 'gift' that Ziegler speaks of. Despo Georgedes, a commercial art major, is only one of many who feel this way.

"My first reaction was to go and check it out," she said, "Then I found out the cost and that it came out of student funds and my fascination turned to anger."

Georgedes raised several questions concerning the issue:

• "Why weren't the students asked about spending for something that many of them personally don't care about?"
• "Why couldn't we have had parking or covered walkways, things that could directly serve the students?"
• "There's only a handful of departments involved in the display's construction. Where do the other departments come in?"
• "Who voted those people into the Senate?"

"It was a selfish, Marxist move on the part of these people," said Georgedes, "and they ought to be voted out!"

Here are some other strong student opinions concerning the Dinosaur Display:

"That's sick!"

"What a waste."

"Burn the school! Trash the Dean!"

"They should have asked the students about it."

"They should get their prorities in order."

"I want my five dollars back!"

"I think the dinosaur is great," was the reply of Cheryl Souza, a commercial art instructor, "but students should have bought something for students."

Many of the students I talked with felt the money could have been used for something else. Here were some suggestions:

1. A parking deck on campus to alleviate the parking problem.
2. Covered walkways to handle the rain.
3. Better lighting at night for those walking to parking lots alone (especially women).
4. An ampitheater for graduation exercises and student theatrical work.
5. Scholarships for every major.
6. Soda machines in front of the bookstore.
7. A larger and more accessible lounge.
8. An art gallery for students.
9. Better food at night.
10. Air-conditioning in the cafeteria to keep the flies out.
11. Up-keep of the cafeteria stage and sound system to better service entertainers.
12. Building 5 courtyard turned into parking for faculty in order to open up more parking spaces...and the list goes on.

But what about that petition of 400 signature you ask? My best guess is that probably, at the time, there were students who wanted the display. But many of them have graduated or transferred to other colleges, thus leaving the rest of us in the dark about the dinosaur expenditure.

There's truth to the rumor that any new student will sign a petition, not realizing their signature will later affect them. Here's where the old adage "If it looks official, it's probably okay to sign" comes in.

There's also the fact that the ASHCC, consisting of students that we put into office, gave the okay to buy the display. Back in 1986, we failed to monitor this organization's progress and method of operation. If we weren't happy with their decision, we could have changed it. For the longest time ASHCC meetings have been open to the student body, but because of a lack of publicity, the opportunity is still a little known fact. Here we both fall down on the job.

But words cannot be recalled nor actions undone. The dinosaur is here. I feel it will fullfill all its obligations. It will certainly bring in students and the public and put HCC on the map once and for all. I think the dinosaur display is a wonderful investment, but the money could have been used for something else.

And what of the opposition who feel strongly against the display? Well, HCC is a democracy, not an oligarchy of 400 signatures. I know for sure these people will be wary next time a stranger comes up to them and hands them a senatorial signature form.

February 9, 1990
HCC's Dinosaur Collection Grows
by Warren Okuma

At noon on Feb.12, those objects will be added to HCC's permanent dinosaur exhibit, which includes a complete Stegosaurus skeleton, a Tyrannosaurus Rex skull, and a Triceratops skull - all fiberglass replicas from the American Museum of Natural History in New York.

The fossilized one-of-a-kind egg was discovered in France and arrived here the third week in January, making HCC the only place in Hawaii where one can see an actual dinosaur egg.

The unusual spherical shape of the egg continues to baffle the French experts and local dinosaur enthusiasts, as they try to identify the species that laid the egg.

On Feb. 8 the egg was CAT-scanned at Queen's Hospital. If the egg was fertile, the exact species may be identified after the scanning results are analyzed.

One of the instructors involved in this project is HCC History Instructor Rick Ziegler, who noted: "The egg is about 75 million years old and important, since it is close to the KT boundary, that is, the period when dinosaurs went extinct. So it may tell us something about that era."

The other item to be unveiled during HCC week is a fiberglass replica of a Tyrannosaurus Rex leg, which was purchased from the American Museum of Natural History. The ten-foot-tall leg was assembled in a bent position due to the ceiling height limit in Building 2. The leg came from a 20-foot tall, 50-foot-long monster which some experts say could get up to speeds of 35 m.p.h.

This part of the exhibit was donated by John Shen, HCC instructor of microbiology, who paid $2,000 out of his retirement fund. Shen said he wanted "to get the most impressive fossil [replica] for that price."

Another recent addition to the display are three full-head reconstruction casts, added late last year to the human evolution display, showing what primitive man looked like, plus a 1.8 million-year-old Homo habilis skull cast to round out the display.

The display will also be used by HCC Instructor Carl Hefner as part of Anthropology 150.

Hefner believes that the replicas are important in the current evolutionist vs. creationist debate. According to Hefner "We must deal with the fossil evidence and what it means to us as human beings."

After Monday's unveiling, the dinosaur exhibit in Building 2, Room 210 will open on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., except on holidays.

September 28, 1990
Dinosaurs Back From Summer Vacation
by Maria-Violetta M. Becera

How did this whole thing get started?

In 1979, two HCC instructors, Rick Ziegler and John Shen, had a dream - that of having a dinosaur exhibit at HCC. Many objections were made when they proposed their project. However, through dedication, determination, and persistence, their dream finally became a reality after eight years when an appropriation from the student surplus fund was approved to support the project.

In February 1987, the dinosaur exhibit was officially opened. Over $30,000 has been spent since then in purchasing the "fossils" and other materials. So far, according to Ziegler, the investment has paid for itself because the publicity alone has generated a value of over $100,000 and over 30,000 visitors.

In charge of the exhibit is the Dinosaur Oversight Committee which is currently chaired by Ziegler. The other members are Shen and Mark Schindler of the science department, Marcia Roberts-Deutsch of the art department, Valerie Evans, director of community services, and Alice Fulton, a docent community volunteer. Aside from developing new educational materials and planning new exhibits, such as the geological time-line, they give presentation which are geared to different age levels.

Because of the respective work commitments of these dedicated docent volunteers, they take turns in giving presentations to prescheduled groups. It is also for that reason that the opening of the exhibit coincides with the schedule of HCC and public schools.

The exhibit will be available for viewing until May 4, 1991, every Tuesday and Thursday from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. and every first Saturday of each month from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m., except during breaks and holidays. For appointments or more information, call 845-9253 or 845-9112.