Sam Noble Museum of Natural History

32.  32.  On April 18 I actually turned 32.  Ugh.  Time to celebrate though, right?  And celebrate I did!  I had multiple little birthday shindigs and tons of fun!!

I already wrote about this to some extent on my other non-specific blog which you can check out here.  On my birthday I got off work early.  I had lunch with Shawna Dawn al fresco at A&E Grill where they proceeded to sing for my birthday a second time.  We won't go into THAT particular humiliation.  Rick and I had plans for the evening, but I didn't want to sit around and do NOTHING so I started looking for options.  I decided I'd like to do something that I haven't done before and if it involves On Sooner Trails then all the better!  Now my first choice would be the Fort Sill Museum which ridiculously enough after nearly 10 years Rick STILL has not taken me to!!  I know, I know.  Travesty.  I settled on the Sam Noble Museum of Natural History:  easy to get to, cheap admission and close.  Distance was important since it was just after 3:00 p.m. already and most museum-type places close at 5:00 p.m.  Once the decision was made we quickly got loaded up in the car and made a beeline for Norman.

It IS easy to get to.  The Internet did not lie in this case!  Hop on to Hwy 9 E off of I-35, turn left at Chautauqua and drive till you see the museum on the right.  Of course it is best once on Chautauqua to stay in the left lane so as not to run into the turn only area in the right lane and have no way to get over in time, thereby being forced to take a more scenic route like Rick did.  Easy fix though.  And that way I got to point out to Rick where Treyton had baseball camp!  :-)

Ok.  We get to the museum.  Just the outside is fairly impressive and there is a nice bison sculpture outside.  (Yes, bison.  NOT buffalo.  We can get into that another time.)  We wandered inside and over to the reception area where two ladies appeared to be counting down their till.  They seemed to find us rather strange sauntering in about 45 minutes to close and asking to look around the museum.  They were very helpful, though!  They informed us that the second floor closes first, so if we stick to the first floor we could go on in at no charge!  Just another little birthday present for Betsy.  :-)

I don't know what I expected the museum to be like.  This is the second 'real' museum I have been to - the first being the Cowboy Hall of Fame (now the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum) years ago.  Let me qualify that statement briefly.  I have been to the Sixth Floor Museum and the OKC National Memorial & Museum, but they are much more focused on being memorials and commemorating an event in time.  I have been to a few little museums in the area thanks to my wonderful time spent growing up in Girl Scouts that included an auto museum and who knows what else.  :-)  I also remember a trip in elementary school to a little Native American museum in Anadarko.  While those are worthwhile places to visit and I should visit them all again for On Sooner Trails (except the Sixth Floor Museum), they are not REAL museums.  When I say a 'real' museum I mean like you picture as a child: one that is large, has revolving exhibits, massive collections in storage, teams of researchers, a docent and curatorial staff, gift shop, and maybe even echoes when you walk.  :-)

The Sam Noble Museum has all that and more.  It is fascinating!  The subject matter isn't exactly my forte, although like most kids when Jurassic Park came out I learned all the different eras in time and could quote many pre-historic 'facts.'  Those days were long ago but the museum is interesting to anybody and everybody. 

I was impressed with the quality of, well, everything.  The models are amazing, the scenes are set perfectly and everything flows nicely.  I especially didn't expect it to be so interactive.  Every display has something to do:  guessing games, slides to view, drawers to open, replicas to touch, and much more.  It is so much fun and the whole setup is aesthetically pleasing.  I can't imagine what it would be like to work on the cleaning crew of that place!  :-)  I do wish we had had more time to browse.  Nevertheless, we quickly saw most of what the downstairs had to offer starting with the Orientation Gallery and ending with the Gallery of World Cultures where, sadly, pictures are prohibited. 

The Orientation Gallery was much more interesting than one may think given the fact that it isn't even about a specific collection.  It is all about topics like:  what collections are, why we keep collections, the proper way to catalog and store collections and how to keep them safe.  Then you move on to the exhibits and see all kinds of creatures.  This was where we really needed more time to peruse!  I did get several fun pictures before we entered the Gallery of World Cultures where, as previously stated, pictures are prohibited.

Another cool thing about the museum?  The names.  The gift shop is 'Excavations.'  Come on.  How cool is that?  And there is a 'Redbud Cafe.'  How appropriately Okie!  (Ahhh...Redbuds.  How did I get to be 32 and still not have one?  There are things in life that just NEED to be rectified!)

After a quick jaunt through the gift shop where I did not buy anything, we went back out and got some exterior pics as well as pics of the American Bison sculpture.  It was then time to go back to Chickasha to continue the birthday festivities.

Post Scriptum
I have been to more museums than I realize.  The first time through the draft I had written that Sam Noble was the first and then I remembered the Cowboy Hall of Fame. (Which is another one I had to rush through the one time I was there due to arriving late in the day.  There is a pattern here - if you recall the first trip to the OKC Memorial in 2005 we got there late!  What on earth?!)  As I re-read this post I now recall that I HAVE been to the Fort Sill Museum.  It was in Girl Scouts long ago.  Apparently every Girl Scout in Oklahoma came!  All I remember is standing out in the cold waiting and playing with the acorns with Elisha Mann, the cafeteria, and being outside while the tour chica (in my head it was a chica but I am not sure about that) talked about Geronimo.  So I guess I have to count it, but it doesn't count.  Capisce?

Tony K. Burris - Medal of Honor

I love Blanchard!!  I did half of my student teaching at the middle school in the Spring of 2007 and often wish I could have gotten hired on there.  From June 2007 - July 2009 I worked in Norman which meant I would drive through Blanchard twice a day during my commuting.  Their Subway is the cutest thing ever and I don't even mind the massive speed trap so much.

I have often noticed a statue off to the North of Highway 62 right there in the heart of Blanchard.  I just never spent much time wondering what it was all about.  On Saturday, March 31, Rick and I were on our way back from a shopping excursion at Home Depot in Norman (which sounds more exciting than it is - we were buying a new toilet! :-))   We already had a full day of getting SICK deals at some yard sales and winning in the largest lottery jackpot in history.  Unfortunately we did not score the $640 million or whatever it got to, but we did manage to score $21!  So at this point we are headed home from Norman and curiosity got the better of me.  After all, we were not in a hurry and I always need fodder for 'On Sooner Trails!'  So I tell Rick to turn at the light and park over by the statue.  I don't mind looking like a dumb tourist!  We get out and walk to the statue and lo and behold it is honoring a Medal of Honor recipient!!  I had no idea!  But not only is it a memorial honoring a Medal of Honor recipient, it is a name I know!  The Army Reserve Center in Chickasha (the same one I drove through a roadblock at on 9/11 - but then that is another story) is named after Tony K. Burris.  I just had no clue who he was before.  It is sad sometimes the stuff you miss that is right in front of you!


The memorial itself has Sergeant Burris charging a hill or something of the sort and underneath are plaques transcribed with the MOH citation, a letter he sent home, and the telegram to his family from the Army at his death.  According to what I have read online the memorial was dedicated in September of 2007 with General Tommy Franks as the keynote speaker.  Sergeant Burris is also buried in his hometown of Blanchard so when I do get around to the Blanchard Cemetery I will have to check that out! 

This is what the plaque with the MOH citation says: 

Congressional Medal of Honor

Sergeant First Class Tony K. Burris, USA

For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his own life above and beyond the call of duty in action with the enemy:
Sergeant Burris, Infantry, United States Army, a member of Company L, 38^th Infantry Regiment, distinguished himself by conspicuous gallantry and outstanding courage above and beyond the call of duty in the vicinity of Mundung-ni, Korea, on 8 and 9 October, 1951.  On 8 October, when his company encountered intense fire from an entrenched hostile force, Sergeant First Class Burris charged forward alone, throwing grenades into the position and destroying approximately fifteen of the enemy.  On the following day, spearheading a renewed assault on enemy positions on the next ridge, he was wounded by machine gun fire but continued the assault, reaching the crest of the ridge ahead of his unit and sustaining a second wound.  Calling for a 57mm recoilless rifle team, he deliberately exposed himself to draw hostile fire and reveal the enemy position.  The enemy machine gun emplacement was destroyed.  The company then moved forward and prepared to assault other positions on the ridge line.  Sergeant First Class Burris, refusing evacuation and submitting only to emergency treatment, joined the unit in its renewed attack but fire from hostile emplacements halted the advance.  Sergeant First Class Burris rose to his feet, charged forward and destroyed the first emplacement with its heavy machine gun and crew of six men.  Moving out to the next emplacement, and throwing his last grenade which destroyed this position, he fell mortally wounded by enemy fire.   Inspired by his consummate gallantry, his comrades renewed a spirited assault which overran enemy positions and secured Hill 605, a strategic position in the battle for “Heartbreak Ridge.”  Sergeant First Class Burris’ indomitable fighting spirit, outstanding heroism, and gallant self-sacrifice reflect the highest glory upon himself, the Infantry, and the United States Army.

Now how cool is that?!  And during the Korean Conflict no less.  The Korean Conflict doesn't get as much attention as other military engagements.  Unless you count M*A*S*H of course.  :-)

To complete our mini adventure Rick got a picture of me with Sergeant Burris after I had taken several pics of the memorial. We then got back on the road and headed toward home!

There is some interesting info on the poorly named Congressional Medal of Honor Society website.  It seems there were 144 MOH recipients to come out of the Korean Conflict, 24 of which are still living.  I suppose it would be reasonable to double-check the information with other sources considering they call it the 'Congressional' MOH and the 'Korean War.'   I know, I know.  That's somewhat debatable.  But seriously - CONGRESS has to declare war for it to be officially 'war' for America.  Even though it was my favorite president who made the declaration that got us officially involved it still doesn't count.

I also learned that since 1863 there have been 3,458 MOH recipients most recently in September 2009 to a Marine in Afghanistan.  Oddly enough, the only woman to receive one was in the Civil War!  There has been only one Coast Guard recipient and 19 double recipients!! (Note the appropriately placed exclamation points. :-))

Another interesting factoid:  there are 3 MOH designs currently in use!  There is one for the Army, one for Navy/Marine Corps/Coast Guard and one for the Air Force.  I did not realize there were different designs used at the same time!  Personally I think that the Air Force should still use the Army one, but they haven't consulted me.  :-)

Anyway, check out the CMOHS website.  The MOH citations are especially interesting reads.