TCU history professor curates "Fort Worth Champions" exhibit at FW Museum of Science & History
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| TCU's Rose Bowl trophy appears in the exhibition. Photo by Glen Ellman |
Fort Worth, Texas
3/4/2011
For generations, Fort Worth athletes have run, fought, swam, ridden, driven and shot their way to victory, leaving their mark while at the top of their game. From relative unknowns who captured Olympic gold, to superstars who turned the spotlight on Fort Worth with Super Bowl victories, a new exhibit at the Fort Worth Museum of Science and History tells the story of these hometown athletes and celebrates their accomplishments. Fort Worth Champions, an immersive, interactive exhibit that pays homage to Fort Worth’s rich sports legacy, opened at the Museum of Science and History on Saturday, Feb. 26. Tickets are included with paid exhibit admission: $14 for adults, $10 for children (2-12) and seniors (60+), and free for Museum members. The exhibit will be on view through Labor Day, Sept. 5, 2011.Created by the Museum of Science and History, Fort Worth Champions profiles more than 25 leading sports figures and teams from multiple disciplines whose stories are told through an impressive array of artifacts, trophies and multimedia. Among the items on view: Dallas Cowboys defensive end Bob Lilly’s 1972 Super Bowl championship ring; TCU and Philadelphia Eagles football legend Davey O’Brien’s Heisman, Maxwell and Walter Camp trophies; Johnny Rutherford’s McLaren M24 Indy Car; World-champion boxer Paulie Ayala’s Bantamweight Championship belt; trick rider and rodeo pro Tad Lucas’ riding leathers and memorabilia; and special displays honoring TCU’s football, track, equestrian, baseball and rifle teams. The Rose Bowl trophy, honoring the TCU Horned Frogs in their undefeated 2010 season, will also be on display periodically when not in use by the team. These symbols of ultimate accomplishment are paired with archival footage, historical mementos and photographs, and audio interviews with the athletes to convey the opportunities and obstacles they faced on the road to success.$0 “Fort Worth Champions presents not only the tangible successes of these athletes, but also their emotional challenges and inspirations,” said Museum of Science and History President Van A. Romans. “We are proud to have created an historic exhibition that brings the stories of so many fine athletes from Fort Worth to the public.”
Museum guests enter the exhibition through a stadium tunnel and are greeted by the cheers of an exuberant crowd. The interactive “Celebration Zone,” conceived and developed by the Museum’s Design and Exhibits teams, sets the stage for exploring the spirit of competition across time. Seven towering, translucent panels serve as a thematic gateway into each display, surrounding the guest with a whirling collage of images and sounds: A field of sprinters morphs into the blue waves of an Olympic pool then transforms to the lush green fairway of a golf course, then again to a football gridiron, to an endless race track, and even to arenas of the past.
The display includes statistical data on individual athletes, information about athletic motivation and drive, and offers insight into how and why these sports figures reached the pinnacle of their athletic success at their respective points in history. The exhibition also features “Future Champions,” a display of young local athletes who may one day join the ranks of Fort Worth’s champions.
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Sports unify communities, define personal identity, and provide an escape during difficult times,” says Museum of Science and History Curator of History Dr. Gene Allen Smith who curated the exhibition. “Competition gives audiences the chance to celebrate victory and agonize over defeat.”“
We learn how and why some athletes’ drive to succeed took them to the height of success, making them champions in the process,” added Smith. “Ultimately, Fort Worth’s rich sports legacy provides insights as to how we think and live, how we entertain ourselves, and how we celebrate and affirm our champions.”Some of the athletes featured in the Fort Worth Champions exhibition will make personal appearances during the run of the show. Programs will be announced as they are confirmed.
Dr. Gene Allen Smith is Professor of History at Texas Christian University in Fort Worth, where he also serves as Director of the Center for Texas Studies. Since 2008, he has held a joint appointment as Curator of History with the Fort Worth Museum of Science and History. Dr. Smith is the author or editor of seven books, including Nexus of Empire: Negotiating Loyalty and Identity in the Revolutionary Borderlands and Filibusters and Expansionists: Jeffersonian Manifest Destiny, 1800-1821. He is working on a study of African American combatants during the War of 1812 and an American military history textbook. Dr. Smith is a member of the Society for Historians of the Early American Republic and the North American Society for Oceanic History, and serves as co-editor of the University Press of Florida’s book series, New Perspectives on Maritime History and Nautical Archaeology. Dr. Smith received his undergraduate and graduate training at Auburn University in Auburn, Alabama. He’s a sports hobbyist who played football, basketball and ran track in his younger days. He still plays basketball three days a week when he’s not curating a sports exhibit.