Mar

March 27, 1990

Glenn Tupper cuts the ribbon to officially open the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute's Earl S. Tupper Center, named in honor of his father, in Panama City, Panama. The inauguration ceremony for the new center featured a speech by the president of the Republic of Panama, Guillermo Endara Galimani (left). Behind the president are Smithsonian Secretary Adams and STRI Director Ira Rubinoff. Monica Alvarado, in traditional Panama dress, holds the ribbon (right).

The Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute formally dedicates the new Earl Silas Tupper Research and Conference Center. Smithsonian Secretary Robert McC. Adams, Panamanian President Guillermo Endara, and members of the Smithsonian Board of Regents attend the dedication ceremonies. The Institute’s first professionally designed exhibition, Parting the Green Curtain: The Evolution of Tropical Biology in Panama, opens to the public at the Tupper Conference Center. On March 28, new living, dining, and conference facilities on Barro Colorado Island are dedicated.

Courtesy of Smithsonian Institution Archives