The MOR is delighted to announce that Stater Bros. late Executive Chairman Jack H. Brown’s lifelong dream to honor and celebrate local Hometown Heroes will soon become a reality through a generous gift from the Jack H. Brown Family Foundation to the Museum of Redlands (MOR).
The Jack H. Brown Family Foundation has made a transformative gift over a five year period toward making MOR a reality and establishing a permanent and interactive museum presence honoring worthy individuals from the Inland Empire, including Jack H. Brown.
“Jack was a native son of San Bernardino and proud of his local roots,” said Phil Smith, Stater Bros. Chairman and longtime friend of Brown. “He wanted to ensure that future generations knew about the many famous and influential people who came from the Inland Empire and could identify with them. It was his lifetime dream to honor our local Hometown Heroes so they could be remembered for generations to come,” Smith added. For over thirty-five years, Brown’s efforts as Chairman of the Board, President, Chief Executive Officer and Executive Chairman of Stater Bros. Markets ultimately created the largest privately-owned supermarket chain in Southern California.
“Through exhibits and programs MOR will be able to present the diverse hometown heroes in the context of how they made life better for our region,” remarked Nathan Gonzales, archivist and historian at A.K. Smiley Public Library, which manages the museum collections and will ultimately manage the museum.
MOR will transform the former Redlands Daily Facts building on Brookside Avenue in Redlands. Upon completing the construction of the new facility, MOR curators and the Jack H. Brown Family Foundation will collaborate on the initial collection of objects and artifacts that will be donated to create the Hometown Heroes program. “Hometown Heroes” will be among the inaugural exhibits when MOR opens.
Gonzales continued, “We are grateful that the Jack H. Brown Family Foundation chose to help support our new museum, enabling us to carry out Mr. Brown’s dream of having the ‘heroes’ of our area recognized, which will serve as an inspiration for people of all ages, and especially school children. The theme will show everyone who visits that heroes accomplish important things, both large and small, loudly and quietly, and come from all walks of life. What better way to inspire not only the community of today, but generations to come?
The project fits well with the Museum mission statement: “The Museum of Redlands (MOR) strives to preserve and celebrate our heritage, while seeking to deepen the understanding of past choices, present circumstances, and future possibilities through interactive education in order to strengthen the bonds of a diverse community.”
The Museum of Redlands is currently engaged in a matching campaign in which Tim and Carol Rochford and Clara Mae Clem will match each dollar up to two million contributed before February 14, 2020. This gift from the Jack H. Brown Family Foundation brings the total raised to $ 9.3 million of the $14 million estimated to be the initial cost of the project. This does not include the generous donations of the building and property previously donated by Clara Mae Clem and Carol and Tim Rochford.
Help us make the MOR a reality - make a donation by February 14, 2020 and have it doubled by our matching campaign! Just click the Donate button on our home page, http://themor.org.