MSU Museum receives $1.9M gift endowment

Friday, March 29 — Yesterday, the Michigan State University Museum announced a $1.9 million gift that would support an endowed curatorship, the first such endowment for the 155-year old museum.

“This is a fantastic gift that will ensure the museum’s historical programs are strong and vibrant into the future,” said Gary Morgan, director of MSU Museum in a press release. “There is no better way for Val’s name to be remembered.”

The Berryman MSU Museum Curator of History Endowment, established by Julie Avery, Stephen Stier and Val Berryman, will create a new curator for the museum’s historical collections.  It will be funded with gifts from the estates of donors. Berryman, who died in January, was the museum’s curator for nearly 50 years. The announcement was made at the opening of his final exhibition, “Adventures in Time and the 3rd Dimension: Through the Stereoscope.”

Berryman was instrumental in the development of museum historical collections, which have been featured in museum exhibitions, loaned to other institutions and used by students, faculty and visiting scholars. He also presented numerous public programs and worked with museums across the state as a professional resource for museum and historical societies.