Riverside, Calif., May, 2000--La Sierra University recently purchased a 2.4-acre site on North Palm Canyon Drive in Palm Springs.

The Riverside-based university plans to build a 30,000-square-foot building on the lot, a building which will house a Palm Springs branch of the La Sierra World Museum of Natural History.

The $1.5 million needed to purchase the lot was donated to the university by Robert Howard, a lifelong resident of Palm Springs. The donor has also made commitments to fund construction of the museum building. But beyond the land and the museum, Mr. Howard's most unique gift will be his prized collection of preserved animals, which will constitute the majority of the material to be displayed.

Throughout his life, the 59-year-old Howard has amassed a stunning collection of preserved animals. Highlights of his collection include a variety of albino animals, a family of lions, big horn sheep, bears of all description, deer, elk, assorted hoofed animals, birds and reptiles.

During the course of the last 20 years, Howard has been a supporter of the La Sierra University World Museum of Natural History. Founded in 1969 and open to the public since 1989, the museum features excellent displays of mammals, reptiles and gems. Since 1988, William Allen has served as the museum director. Dr. Allen also serves as the director of development in the La Sierra Advancement Office.

"Far more than a donation to the university, Mr. Howard's is actually making a gift to the people of Palm Springs and the Coachella Valley. Not only will the museum be a tourist destination, but it will also be a popular spot for local schoolchildren to visit and learn," Allen said. "We fully expect that this museum will be just as popular with schools in Palm Springs as our Riverside museum is with the local schools here."

The Palm Springs branch of the La Sierra World Museum of Natural History will serve as a year-round resource for Palm Springs and the Coachella Valley, Allen said. In addition to a gallery, the museum will feature a small auditorium suitable for musical performances, lectures, classes and cultural events.

Financial timetables are still being finalized, so details about construction timetables have not been established. The detailed plans that are being finalized could mean construction on the museum is as far as three years away, Allen said.

Founded in 1922, La Sierra University is a private, Christian institution of higher education with a current enrollment of 1,200 students. The university offers graduate and undergraduate degrees in the liberal arts, sciences, business, education, religion and for pre-professional students. La Sierra is part of the Seventh-day Adventist system of higher education.

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