The Foundation for Portland Public Schools is excited to announce the opening of the Rosenthal Museum of Natural History at Portland High School.

Sam Rosenthal, Portland High School class of 1971, has donated a collection of fossils that includes ammonites, ancient alligator jaws, the massive teeth of megalodon, and dinosaur bones. The museum is open to Portland Public Schools educators and students. It will be used to enhance instruction in biology classes and also will be open for scheduled visits from  K-12 classes across the district, helping to spark more interest in natural history.

“Every child loves dinosaurs,” Rosenthal said. “A lot of people lose their interest as they grow older. I never lost my interest. Dinosaurs are what got me into science.”

Rosenthal is a dinosaur-hunter who spent over 35 years writing and designing software at NASA, MIT’s Lincoln Laboratory and Raytheon. He helped develop the computer science curricula at Portland High School and gives a lecture series on evolution to the PHS advanced biology classes. In addition to the fossil collection that he has donated to Portland High, Rosenthal plans to leave an endowment to the Foundation for Portland Public Schools (FPPS) to benefit Portland High School. Portland High School and FPPS staff are working together to determine a process for high school staff to have input in the spending each year so that it can have the greatest impact on students.

“Sam Rosenthal is an inspiring Portland High School graduate,” said Andrea Weisman Summers, Executive Director of the Foundation for Portland Public Schools. “He had a fascinating and impressive career and has used his retirement to give back – first, by donating his time as a volunteer, then this amazing fossil collection, and now some of his retirement funds to invest in school programming.”

Photo: PHS science teacher Eric Begonia (left) and Sam Rosenthal, PHS class of 1971, outside of new museum entrance.