Senior Wednesday: The Accidental Fossil and Other Stories
Wednesday, August 6, 2025 | 1:30 PM – 2:30 PM
Tickets: $4 +tax, FREE for Museum Members
Join us every first Wednesday at 1:30 PM for Senior Wednesday at the Museum of World Treasures!
Watch This Event Live Online
Tune in live or watch the recording afterwards.
Event Details
- Date: August 6, 2025
- Time: 1:30 PM
- Location: Museum of World Treasures [Get Directions]
Program Fee
- Museum Members: Free
- Non-Members: $4 per person plus tax
Attending Information
- Open to all ages
- No need to register; simply walk in!
- Light refreshments provided.
Talk Summary
Armed with only grammar school education, Charles Bunker had a significant and successful career in the world of academia at the University of Kansas Natural History Museum in the early 20th century. He served as curator of birds and mammals, was pivotal to the installation of the iconic panorama in Dyche Museum, developed an effective method using beetles to clean animal skeletons, and discovered the fossil remains of the 45-foot sea serpent that greets all visitors as they enter Dyche Hall. However, his greatest legacy was the students he trained and inspired who became some of the best naturalists of the mid twentieth century at such prestigious institutions as UC Berkeley, University of Michigan, and the Smithsonian.
Speaker Bio - Chuck Warner
Chuck Warner was born and raised in Wichita. After graduating from Southeast High School, he attended the University of Kansas, where he earned degrees in both business and law. Afterwards, he enjoyed a nearly four-decade long career in business and banking in Lawrence. Once Chuck retired, naturalists at the KU Natural History Museum suggested he write a book about his grandfather, Charles Bunker. As a result of their urging, Warner wrote the book Birds, Bones, and Beetles, that was eventually published by the University Press of Kansas in 2019. In 2020 the book was recognized as a Kansas Notable Book, awarded both the best Kansas history and book layout by the Kansas Authors Club, and was a finalist in the High Plains Book Awards. He continues to write, and his essays have been published in 105 Meadowlark Reader, The Write Bridge, and Writing from the Center.
Senior Wednesdays are informational and entertaining sessions, designed for active seniors and offered by a collaboration of Wichita institutions. To learn more, visit: