Search the Community

https://etvnews.com/prehistoric-museum-director-kenneth-carpenter-retires/ The Prehistoric Museum announces the retirement of Dr. Ken Carpenter as Museum Director and Curator of Paleontology. The museum saw substantial change under his leadership. Ken Carpenter earned his undergraduate degree in geology from the University of Colorado in 1980. He went on to work at museums across the country including the Academy of Natural Sciences in Philadelphia, the Mississippi Museum of Natural History, the Museum of the Rockies in Montana and others. In 1989 Carpenter settled at the Denver Museum of Natural History, where he worked for 22 years, progressing from Chief Preparator to Acting Department Head and Curator of Vertebrate Paleontology. During that time he earned his PhD in Geology from the University Of Colorado. Dr. Carpenter was hired as the museum’s director in 2010. With more than 30 years of experience in paleontology and museums he helped shape the Prehistoric Museum into a fully professional organization as it was originally envisioned. The exhibits and the public face of the museum saw substantial overhauls during his decade long tenure. Many exhibits were refurbished with up-to-date scientific information and new exhibits were developed that allowed the space to be ordered by the passage of time. One of the highlights of this process was the complete redesign of the pivotal “dino pit” exhibit, which is based on finds at Cleveland-Lloyd Dinosaur Quarry (now Jurassic National Monument). Every dinosaur was re-mounted in a more realistic pose, new specimens were secured to enhance the display, and signage was developed to tell the story of this world famous quarry. Thus the exhibit moved from a collection of interesting dinosaurs to a must-see introduction to the quarry before you visit. Throughout the years, Dr. Carpenter said that he loved shaping a small museum into something greater, a sentiment shared by many museum employees before and during his tenure. His improvements would not have been possible without the likes of Pam Miller, Duane Taylor and dozens of dedicated community volunteers. Dr. Carpenter worked to ensure that the museum was living up to the standards it had set forth for itself. He wished for the museum to have great exhibits, be a tool for teachers, and more. “It was actually all of it that was kind of fun to do,” Dr. Carpenter said in a recent interview reflecting on his work at the museum. With retirement comes more change for Dr. Carpenter. He and his wife Yvonne will move to Vernal where he will have a chance to work more closely with Dinosaur National Monument while Yvonne completes her master’s degree in geographic information systems. We here at the museum wish both of them the best in all of their coming endeavors. With Dr. Carpenter’s retirement comes new leadership for the museum. Dr. Tim Riley, Curator of Archaeology at the museum since 2012, has now been hired as the museum’s director alongside his curatorial duties. Dr. Carpenter knows there is still a lot of work to be completed but he is confident that Dr. Riley will lead the museum in a positive direction.