Dawn the Dinosaur moves to Comer Children’s Hospital
July 29, 2013
Dozens of children, physicians, staff and dinosaur enthusiasts gathered in the lobby of the University of Chicago Medicine Comer Children's Hospital on Oct. 14 to welcome Dawn the Dinosaur, a rare, museum-quality replica of the Herrerasaurus ischigualastensis discovered by the renowned University of Chicago paleontologist Paul Sereno. Dawn is a fitting name for this species of dinosaur, which was among the first to walk the planet, more than 230 million years ago. Sereno and a colleague unearthed the primitive carnivore in the Ischigualasto badlands of Argentina in 1988. It is the most complete fossil of the species discovered to date.
Dawn, now a permanent exhibit en route to the Children's Clinics at Comer, was donated by University of Chicago grad and longtime supporter Nicholas Pritzker. Pritzker's lifelong interest in paleontology peaked when his four children were young.
"They were fascinated by dinosaurs, so I did some digging into how to become a collector of fossils," said Pritzker. "My family has enjoyed this awe-inspiring piece of prehistory for many years. I'm thrilled that now children from across the city and around the world will find joy in her as well."
Sereno is equally proud to have one of his first, most-prized discoveries on display at Comer Children's Hospital and believes it will inspire future explorers.
"I hope that kids and their parents will stop by the display multiple times because there's a lot of information there," said Sereno. "I hope they will appreciate how much fun it was to discover that fossil and put together the story of Dawn the Dinosaur."
Dozens of children, physicians, staff and dinosaur enthusiasts gathered in the lobby of the University of Chicago Medicine Comer Children's Hospital on Oct. 14.