The Legacy of Tom Catron Reflections on the Foundation
Museum of New Mexico Foundation Founder Tom Catron died May 1, 2020, at age 98. His involvement with the Foundation and support of the Museum of New Mexico system continued throughout his life. Following his death, we combed through old interviews with Catron and conducted new ones with Foundation members who knew him best. What follows is a loosely told oral history of Catron’s legacy, along with reflections on the past, present and future of the Foundation.
The Players Tom Catron, founder and trustee emeritus, former chair, (1962–1987) Saul Cohen, trustee emeritus, former chair (1996–1998) Jerry Richardson, trustee, former chair (1995–1996) Marian Silver, trustee emeritus, former chair (1990–1992) Sue Ann Snyder, Foundation executive director (1994–2002)
Our Humble Beginnings Tom Catron: Seriously, the only thing I did to help was just to talk to people and explain that there had to be some source for money. Jerry Richardson: Tom did all the legal work of getting us incorporated and creating bylaws. He was always a visionary for what would be important to our state and the culture here. Catron: We made a list of reasons why the Foundation was formed: to raise grant money, acquire collections objects, run museum shops, develop public support through museum memberships, and solicit legislative help and general museum support. Saul Cohen: There are people who talk on the one hand, and people who do things on the other. They can be combined in one person. And Tom was a leader in a very unpretentious way. Sue Ann Snyder: When we started the Planned Giving Society, we wanted to name it after him. We went to ask him very, very carefully, could we please use his name, and call it the Tom Catron Giving Society? And he just looked at us, and he laughed. And he said, ‘Well, you know, there’s a lot of places in New Mexico where Catron still isn’t a good name!’ He declined in the most gentle possible way. Marian Silver: He wanted to ensure that there was an endowment so that the museum would continue way into the future. That was his goal. He was very successful. Cohen: I can remember when there were no employees, and then there came to be one! Silver: The first office they had was in a building that was once the Elks Club, I believe. It was sort of like a mom-and-pop operation.
Expanding Our Reach Richardson: Our ability to raise money for the museums has grown hugely. When I got on the board, we had a little over $2 million in the endowment. And now it’s over $20 million. Top to bottom: Tom Catron, Saul Cohen, Jerry Richardson, Marian Silver, Sue Ann Snyder.
6 museumfoundation.org
