By Kacie Svoboda
Peter Larson and the Black Hills Institute of Geological Research (BHI) in Hill City received an early Christmas present on Friday, Dec. 18, when Larson opened a package to discover the Emmy® award for Outstanding Science and Technology Programming — won earlier this year by “Dinosaur 13.”
“Dinosaur 13” director and producer Todd Miller sent the award with a Post-it note that simply read, “As Indy says, ‘It belongs in a museum.’”
While some BHI employees were moved to tears over the museum’s new addition, Larson was all smiles and gratitude.
“What a wonderful human being — Todd is one in a million,” Larson said. “It’s very sweet for him to send this award for the people of Hill City to enjoy.”
Though Larson acknowledged that the Emmy® award was intended as a permanent gift, he suspects that Miller might someday want it back. So he is determined to enjoy it while it’s at the museum and design a special place for its display.
“We may have to make a special case for it,” Larson said. “I am planning on setting up a permanent exhibit for ‘Dinosaur 13,’ at least until the cast of Sue gets here.”
“Dinosaur 13,” the documentary film about Sue — the largest, most complete Tyrannosaurus rex ever found, won the Emmy award during the 36th Annual News and Documentary Awards in late September. “Dinosaur 13” beat out four other nominees to take the honor.
“Dinosaur 13” tells the story of the discovery of Sue in 1990 by BHI paleontologist Larson and his team and the ensuing conflict between Native Americans, the federal government and museums over the ownership of the dinosaur.
The documentary was based on the book “Rex Appeal: The Amazing Story of Sue, the Dinosaur That Changed Science, the Law and My Life” by Larson and Kristin Donnan. The film was broadcast on CNN and is currently available for viewing on Netflix.