In 1966, Ellen Thorne Smith brought together 155 women to found the Women’s Board of the Field Museum. More than 50 years later, the Women’s Board continues its tradition of supporting science and education.
Among their many charitable activities at the Museum, they fund internships for 10 high school and undergraduate young women; graduate fellowships for promising female Ph.D. candidates; the Women in Science monthly lecture series; and raise more than $2 million per year to support the mission of the Museum. The Women’s Board has also committed to a $2 million endowment of the Museum’s Learning Center as part of the Museum’s Because Earth Campaign.
Several Women’s Board members have included the Field Museum in their estate plans. One of them, Tonja Rizai Hall, recently shared, “As children, my parents would often take my sister and me to museums. We went to science museums, cultural museums, history museums, and other institutions of learning. This led me to a lifelong journey of curiosity about our world and its inhabitants. My family and I support the Field Museum in our estate plan and as part of our giving in the hopes of sparking an interest in others in their path to lifelong learning.”
Interested in learning more about how you can make a lasting impact at the Field Museum, like Tonja is? Contact Bill Lynerd at 312.665.7286 or blynerd@fieldmuseum.org.