The Rice Northwest Rock and Mineral Museum employs a small crew to curate and maintain the museum, and a team of hosts who lead tours and are ready in each of the exhibits to answer any questions you may have. We’d like to introduce you to a few of our treasures.
Garret Romaine, Executive Director
Affiliations and Titles
Fellow, Society for Technical Communication
Past President, Willamette Valley Chapter, Society for Technical Communication
Member, Board of Directors, North American Research Group (NARG) 2015-present
Member, Board of Directors, Rice Northwest Museum of Rocks and Minerals 2011-2018
Garret moved from the museum’s Board of Directors to the Executive Director office in 2018. He holds a geology degree from the University of Oregon and a master’s degree in geography from the University of Washington, as well as an MBA from Portland State University.
Garret has been a writer, instructor, manager, and author in the Portland area for the past 40 years. He wrote a regular column for the Gold Prospectors magazine before switching to books, and he is the author of several rockhounding and gold prospecting titles, covering the Pacific Northwest, California, and Colorado.
Garret is dedicated to earth sciences education, and has been using specimens from the Museum’s collection for many years in his books. He looks forward to expanding the museum experience, using technology to develop more educational exhibits and incorporate the natural beauty of the collection into the local area’s Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics curriculum.
Julian C. Gray, Curator
Julian Gray is the former Curator of the Tellus Science Museum in Cartersville, Georgia, where he oversaw the interpretation and care of the museum’s collections including collections management, exhibit fabrication, and research library. He served as final word on the scientific and technical accuracy of all exhibits, educational materials, and public communications. As an integral participant in nearly every major decision-making process concerning museum operations and strategic planning, Gray also was involved in numerous marketing campaigns, educational programs, and human resources matters, and was frequently sought out as local expert for science outreach, providing live interviews with and presentations for local media and civic groups.
Under his leadership the Tellus collection grew significantly, including acquisition of parts of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia mineral collection related to the Southeast and the former geology collection of the Georgia Capitol Museum. He also assisted in the Museum in achieving Smithsonian Affiliation status, which facilitated loans of significant fossil material related to Georgia from the National Museum of Natural History and Apollo-era artifacts from the National Air and Space Museum. Most recently, Gray was fundamental in obtaining a Lunar sample exhibit for Tellus on permanent loan from NASA, the only such exhibit in the state.
Gray also is active in the mineralogical community locally, nationally, and internationally, having served on the board of the Society of Mineral Museum Professionals. He was also a past president of Friends of Mineralogy (national organization and Southeast chapter). Other leadership roles included the Atlanta Geological Society and Georgia Mineral Society. He is the co-author of chapters related to Georgia mineral localities in the widely-acclaimed book “American Mineral Treasures” and, along with Dr. Robert Cook, co-author of the 2nd edition, revised edition, of “Minerals of Georgia” (Jose Santamaria, editor) published in 2016.