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.

Snyder: We went through a planning process to really redefine the mission, and not be so beholden to the museum for our own policy decisions. We felt, as we grew, that we needed to be a stronger institution, so we could be our own organization in charge of our own future. In that way, we could gain more respect in the community and be able to attract really good trustees.

Cohen: It has slowly grown, which may be the best possible way. I do believe that evolution is always better than revolution.

Silver: It just amazes me what a huge force it’s been for Santa Fe.

Richardson: Tom was the one who negotiated with Georgia O’Keeffe to get the Bear Lake painting that we donated to the art museum. And those were not easy negotiations. When she turned us down at first, the story I heard from Tom was that he just went back and said, ‘Well, we still want another one.’ He kept the long view in mind.

Snyder: I was privileged to be able to shepherd the Foundation through its teenage years, when we placed the licensing program and the planned giving program and we completed the Museum Hill project. We got a lot done because we were growing and defining what our role vis-à-vis the museums should be.

Building Our Future

Cohen: The Museum of New Mexico and all its component parts has become one of the top museum systems in the country. And that’s thanks to the support that has been given by the Foundation. Richardson: We’ve definitely expanded our range of services and support. Museums are one of our most important cultural assets here. We are these repositories of information and culture that need to be maintained.

Snyder: Arts and humanities make a full person. They matter. Museums have a huge role: to be able to step in, to inspire fun, to teach history, to groom the eye for art. I think the future of museums is even more important in current times, especially as education struggles with a lot of issues that they never had to struggle with. Catron: The Foundation was essential back then, and it’s essential now. The museums might continue physically without it, but the heart of the museums — the art, the exhibits, the education — couldn’t be done without it.

To make a gift to the Thomas B. Catron III and June Ellis Catron Endowment Fund, contact Jamie Clements at Jamie@museumfoundation.org or 505.216.0826.

1962: Thomas B. Catron III establishes the Museum of New Mexico Foundation to raise funds for state museum system 1963: Catron begins 25-year run as board chair; first donation of $251.30 is received 1964: Foundation launches membership program with $10 annual fee 1966: Foundation opens first Museum Shop in Museum of Fine Arts basement 1971: Foundation assets reach $220,500 1973: Museum Shop sales, including at the Palace of the Governors, reach $122,926 1983: Foundation assets reach $2.1 million 1986: Foundation hires first executive director to oversee 16 paid employees 1987: Museum of Indian Arts and Culture opens with a Museum Shop inside 1988: Foundation aids Friends of the Palace in purchasing Segesser Hide paintings 1995: A $2 million gift from the estate of Santa Fe fiber artist Maggy Ryan is received 2000: Endowment funds of $250,000 each are created for four state museums 2001: Planned giving program launched 2003: Foundation creates Thomas B. Catron III Endowment fund 2008: Foundation raises $13.5 million for Shape the Future Campaign to build the New Mexico History Museum 2016: Foundation launches Centennial Campaign for New Mexico Museum of Art; receives largest cash gift in its history of $4 million to build Vladem Contemporary 2017: Foundation gifts Georgia O’Keeffe’s 1931 painting Desert Abstraction (Bear Lake) to New Mexico Museum of Art 2018: Foundation’s five Museum Shops generate record $3.3 million in sales 2018-19: Foundation marks $9.9 million in earned and contributed revenues 2019: Foundation launches the $10 million Campaign for New Mexico History, its first-ever statewide campaign 2020: Foundation manages 31 endowments valued at more than $23 million