Houston's newest (and oldest) visitor attracts about 1,000

By MELANIE MARKLEY
Houston Chronicle
Lucy's premiere drew about 1,000 visitors to the Houston Museum of Natural Science on Friday, and officials expect record crowds will visit the world-famous fossil during the holiday weekend.
Brad Levy, director of customer service, estimated that 12,000 to 14,000 people will see the exhibit today through Monday. He said advance sales for the opening weekend already are 25 percent higher than they were for the museum's last blockbuster, Body Worlds, which went on display in February 2006.
The early response to Lucy's Legacy: The Hidden Treasures of Ethiopia has been very positive, he said.
"What people are saying is that they are appreciative that the Ethiopian people are sharing this exhibit with them," he said.
Lucy's visit to Houston has had its share of controversy. Famed fossil hunter Richard Leakey accused the museum of "gross exploitation of the ancestors of humanity" while others feared that the trip from Ethiopia to Houston could damage the fossil.
But Lucy is drawing interest from everywhere. After a national news report about the exhibition Thursday night, Levy said that 500 people from all parts of the country called to buy advance tickets.
Museumgoers said Friday they were impressed with the exhibition, which also includes information about the history and culture of Ethiopia.
Tracie Moreno said she and her father had been waiting a long time to see the display. When her 2-year-old daughter, Jasmine, looked at the life-size replica of Lucy and signed the word "monkey," her mother just laughed.
"She can't say 'Australopithicus' yet," said Moreno, referring to Lucy's scientific name.
Her father, Harry Windham, was taking his time studying the displays and reading the detailed explanations that were posted along the way. Windham, who is retired, said he had been to Africa but never Ethiopia.
"I didn't know much about the life and times of Ethiopia," he said. "I'm impressed with that. I think it will be good for Ethiopia."
In the room with Lucy's bones, Chris Fogarty studied the diorama depicting what life had been like when Lucy was alive roughly 3.2 million years ago. He had come to the museum with his daughter and her fiancé, and he wasn't leaving disappointed.
"Ethiopia, I found, is a fascinating country," he said. "I didn't realize the cultural diversity there and the religious tolerance."
And Lucy?
"I didn't realize she was so short."
melanie.markley@chron.com