The Legacy South Florida Museum

The Legacy: South Florida Museum is an account of the origins, founding, and development in twentieth-century Florida of a people's museum about archeology, Spanish exploration, manatees, and space. As a museum founded in the immediate post-World War II era, with its origins in the prehistoric past, its narrative reflects Florida's changes through Spanish exploration, statehood, tourism, endangered manatees, and space development over a thousand years. The Legacy is a story of volunteerism, in the spirit of voluntary action for the common good, by dedicated individuals. It leads to today's South Florida Museum and its several facilities, including the Bishop Planetarium, Parker Manatee Aquarium, and Spanish Plaza.

Thomas Peter Bennett, a Florida native and graduate of Florida State University, received his Ph.D. from Rocketeller University. He was an assistant professor at Harvard, served as professor and chairman of biological sciences at Florida State University and then as special assistant to the president, before beginning museum work as president of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia (1976-86). He then served as professor and director of the University of Florida's Museum of Natural History (1986-96), as president of Science Service and publisher of Science News (1996-98), and as executive director of the South Florida Museum (1998-2002). The author of many science, history and education articles, several science textbooks, and poetry anthologies, Bennett resides in Bradenton with his wife Gudrun, pursues academic and museum interests, and writes.