Sue, the Tyrannosaurus rex, in the Field Museum of Natural History, Chicago, Illinois.
When I visit Chicago, Illinois, I like to visit my old friend Sue, the Tyrannosaurus rex. In early April, my husband and I got re-acquainted with Sue when we were in the city for a wedding. We braved unseasonably cold weather, high wind (well, it is Chicago, the Windy City) and some snow and ice to see the old gal. She looks pretty good for 67 million years old, although she does admit to some cosmetic help.
When I was refreshing my memory about Sue’s many attributes and history, I was thrilled to read that the T rex mural on the wall behind Sue is by John Gurche, a University of Kansas graduate. I’d met John Gurche years ago while I was at KU and am always happy to discover one of his works. I bought his dinosaur stamps, and of course I never used them on an envelope. (What would happen to the U.S. Postal Service is all of the stamp collectors suddenly used all of their stamps as postage!) Gurche’s work is featured in museums and in publications such as National Geographic, Smithsonian and the Boston Globe. He was named one of the 2013-14 Distinguished Alumni of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences at the University of Kansas, the highest honor from the College.
I’m not sure when I’ll see Sue again, so I will get my next fossil fix at the KU Museum of Natural History. And one of these days I’ll post my story about a dinosaur dig I went to in Wyoming near Newcastle.
About Sue, the Tyrannosaurus rex.
John Gurche’s U.S. Postage Dinosaur Stamps.
Catherine Sherman 
The Field and the Smithsonian – couldn’t you spend a life-time wandering through them and learning? I wonder if the Field still has the two lions that almost stopped the construction of the African railroad. If you can find a copy that story and others about the railroad are contained in a book titled, “Maniac Express.” Its a great read.
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Yes, I wish I could have spent more time in the Field Museum. I’ve been there and to the Smithsonian many times and haven’t been close to seeing it all. I didn’t see the Tsavo lions this time, but saw the Man-eater of Mfuwe. This link also mentions the Tsavo lions. http://archive.fieldmuseum.org/exhibits/exhibit_sites/tsavo/mfuwe.html
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Thanks for the book suggestion. Here’s what I found about the Tsavo lions. http://www.sciencemag.org/news/2009/11/body-count-two-man-eating-lions
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Here’s my blog post about the lions we saw in South Africa. We were in an open vehicle, and when a male lion made eye contact with me and then got up and started heading my way, that was about as scared as I’ve ever been. But then he plopped down and paid no more attention to me, thankfully. https://catherinesherman.wordpress.com/2013/02/02/bringing-home-the-buffalo/
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Sue is truly remarkable – and speaks to a time that no longer exists, except by her presence.
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It is amazing that these giant reptiles once roamed the earth. If it weren’t for that massive asteroid that possibly wiped them out, T rex might still be terrorizing the planet’s inhabitants, which probably wouldn’t include us. Still kind of wish there was an island of dinosaurs like in Jurassic Park.
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My, my, Catherine, that ‘lion’ event in South Africa sent shivers down my spine. I’ve heard they regard you as a rather large animal when you are in a vehicle, though, eye contact would rather weaken that knowing..
Sue reminds me of our time in London last December. We visited the British Museum of Natural History (amongst others). It houses a multitude of fossils. The T Rex on display is, apparently, the first of its kind found. Have you visited?
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As scary as my lion event was, I’d love to go back. I wouldn’t, however, want to be that close to a T rex! I’ve visited the British Museum and the Victoria and Albert museum, but not the Natural History Museum. I’m adding that to my bucket list!
What about the South Australian Museum in Adelaide? I would love to return to Australia.
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Yes to the lion event repeated. Definitely happy not to see T Rex in the flesh! Though it would most certainly be thrilling.
The V&A museum was such a joy to visit; such artwork and history. We didn’t get to the British Museum – four day visit, and so much to see…!
Adelaide’s museums remain another mystery; though, the city is beautiful with its old world charm. Sydney (in NSW, my home state) and Melbourne (Victoria) have some great museums, most of which I’ve visited throughout the years.
Like most places I’ve visited, there always seems to be more to see! I guess that leaves more ‘surprises’ for return visits.
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Took another look – Couldn’t help humming some Johnny Cash. “How do you do!”
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Cathy, for me, complete skeletons like this are always a pleasure to see. As a geologist, I’ve always had an interest in paleontology, and I will always be happy that movies like “Jurassic Park” have brought dinosaurs into the public eye – even to the point of rock star status. But the wonderful thing about complete skeletons is that they make dinosaurs real. As in OMG, how would I like one of these hungry monsters on my tail. And BTW, the Nat History Museum in London has a T-rex skull that is absolutely huge: sort of a one-bite / human size head. ~James
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