January, 2006- In the fall of 2005, UMBI began a year-long celebration of its 20th anniversary. As a part of UMBI, the MBC is proud to help them celebrate this momentous occasion. But 2006 also commemorates two other anniversaries within UMBI: the 10th anniversary of the opening of the Medical Research Facility (MRF) and the 20th anniversary of the founding of the Medical Biotechnology Center.

Inspired by UMBI's ongoing efforts, Mrs. Pamela Wright, Assistant to the Director and PR Liaison, has assembled a display located prominently in the lobby of the MRF which depicts the development of the building, originally called the Medical Biotechnology Center Facility. Over the past month or so, Mrs. Wright has been collecting and editing photos of the MRF and MBC. Spending the better part of a day, Mrs. Wright assembled the display to chronicle both the history of the facility and how far the MBC has come in its 20 years of existence from a center with no real home to one located in a large, historic building.

Seeing the transformation the building underwent is astonishing. Just by looking through the pictures taken during construction, you can see how many changes were made to make this facility what it is today. It's been very interesting and a lot of fun looking through the various faces of those that passed through here and reading about the founding of the Center, said Mrs. Wright.

The first two panels of the towering display show the transformation from an empty warehouse to a state-of-the-art research building. Included on the display is a large picture of the Hutzler warehouse circa 1930 as well as a collage of photos taken at the groundbreaking in 1994 with many notable public officials in attendance. It also details the extensive remodeling that went into recycling the neglected building.

The third and final panel showcases the early beginnings of the MBC and those individuals who helped get it started. Also on the panel is some current information about the center as well as a message from the current Director of the MBC, Dr. W. Jonathan Lederer and a brief but detailed history of the MBC. Some interesting MBC firsts and a list of the various institutes and centers that currently make up the MBC completes the commemoration of MBC's twenty years.

Written by Kyleen Graham