Bleak Beauty Blog

My daughter, Gabrielle Lyon is Executive Director of Project Exploration which is located in Chicago. She created the organization along with her husband Dr. Paul Sereno in order to radically change how science is taught to young people. Much of Project X’s work involves working with inner city children, some of whom they take to Wyoming to hunt for dinosaurs.

On January 7, 2010 Gabrielle was a guest in the White House in order to receive an award
on behalf of Project Exploration.

As she waited with the group of educators the side door the of a White House room opened and in walked President Obama.
“Gabe!” said the President, and he walked right over to her.
My daughter jumped up. The small camera she had hidden inside her pants slipped down into her pants leg.

Then the President said,
“Look who it is! Hey everybody this is an old friend, a good friend!”,
and he leaned down to hug Gabrielle.

“How are you? How’s the family?”

“Everyone is great” answered Gabe, “and we’ve got one on the way.”

The other educators in the room were stunned.

“Well, how many will that be now? Two or three?”

“Just two. Slow down buddy.”

The tall man broke out in his famous smile. A smile that split his face in half.

Then he hugged her again.

To paraphrase John Adams,

We are artists
In order that our children can be educators
and our grandchildren presidents