Monday, April 30, 2007

But then there are better relations Tribe's pledge jump-starts Western Center for Archaeology and Paleontology's fundraiser
Bill Marshall, executive director of the Western Center for Archaeology and Paleontology, interrupted his speech to museum supporters Friday to take a staged phone call from Soboba Tribal Chairman Robert Salgado.

"That was Bobby Salgado of the Soboba tribe and they're pledging $500,000 for the Western Center," Marshall announced, to audience applause.

Although the phone call during Marshall's speech was not real, the tribe did indeed commit the money to the center a few hours earlier, effectively kicking off a multimillion-dollar fundraising campaign for the center.