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Director Credited With Reinventing Baltimore's Maryland Science Center Resigns

Posted on: Friday, 3 September 2004, 06:00 CDT

Sep. 4--Three months after the Maryland Science Center unveiled the biggest expansion in its 28-year history, its executive director has resigned, the center's board chairman said yesterday.

Gregory P. Andorfer, who is credited with reinventing the Inner Harbor attraction by doubling its exhibition space and adding high-tech, interactive exhibits, said in a statement it's time for new leadership. He was unavailable to comment further yesterday, science center officials said. Andorfer could not be reached at his home.

Science center officials offered little reason for Andorfer's resignation, other than to say he had been able to achieve his dream of turning the science center into one of the best in the country and that he was ready to step down. Andorfer is expected to continue working with the science center as a consultant.

The announcement, from Richard B. Talkin, chairman of the center's board of trustees, surprised some members of the center's own board.

Van Reiner, a former division president of Bethlehem Steel and a board member, will step in as acting executive director while the board searches for a permanent replacement, a task expected to take at least six months.

The change was the latest in a recent series of challenges for downtown tourist attractions, including the financial struggles of the Maryland Zoo and the Port Discovery children's museum as well as operating problems with a nearby balloon ride.

Andorfer was considered the visionary and driving force behind the science center's $35 million project, which included a 40,000-square-foot addition that emphasizes hands-on experiences and story-telling. It includes a dinosaur exhibit that invites visitors to touch full-size replicas and dig for fossils. Science center attendance has climbed in June and July, by 10 percent and by 33 percent, respectively.

"He accomplished the goals that he set out to do when he got here, to reinvent and transform the Maryland Science Center," said Christopher Cropper, a science center spokesman. Andorfer had approached the board some time ago to discuss his desire to step down, Cropper said.

In a statement released by the science center, Andorfer said, "Now it's time to turn the leadership over to others who will continue to enhance our services and our rise to excellence."

Reiner, who is not a member of the center's 12-person executive committee that handles personnel, said he knew only that Andorfer had initiated discussions with the committee "about changes involving personnel."

"My goal is to continue the programs and the emphasis that Greg started," Reiner said. "I don't want to just be a caretaker, I want to make sure the science center keeps moving forward, to continue to be a place where children of all ages can come and be entertained but still learn some facts about science."

Though some were surprised by the announcement, board members said they were pleased with Andorfer's work and that he indicated several weeks ago that he had other plans.

Many who worked with him were impressed by what he accomplished in his eight-year stint.

"He has been the face of the science center," said Ronald H. Fishbein, a retired surgeon, who is a science center trustee. "He has made a tremendous contribution. I think he probably had something else in mind."

Baltimore city Councilwoman Rochelle "Rikki" Spector, a member of the science center board, was not aware of the resignation until getting an e-mail from the science center yesterday.

"I was very surprised to hear about it," Spector said. "He's taken us through the most marvelous renaissance at this fabulous facility, and he's as committed as he can be. He shepherded this project."

Gregory C. Pinkard, an executive vice president at Colliers Pinkard who served on the science center board's building committee, offering guidance throughout the expansion, also had not heard about the resignation until yesterday. He said he was unaware of the circumstances.

Andorfer "was very, very creative on the building committee on the types of things he envisioned for the expansion," he said.

Andorfer, a TV producer who won Peabody and Emmy awards, was named executive director and chief executive of the science center in 1996. The job's salary was $165,568 as of March 2003, according to the science center's most recent filing with the Internal Revenue Service.

Prior to coming to Baltimore, he was vice president for national projects and executive producer at WQED television station in Pittsburgh. There he produced an educational series called "Everyday Science," which explored such topics as: "Why do curve balls curve?""Where do bugs go in the winter?" and "Why does popcorn pop?"

He won awards for a PBS series called "Planet Earth," and for "Cosmos," a hugely popular science program that he worked on with Carl Sagan, the renowned educator, astronomer and author. He is credited with spearheading two expeditions to the Titanic, which led to seven television programs about the ill-fated ship.

He opened a number of popular exhibits at the science center, including the Outer Space Place, an exhibit on outer space, the Kids Room, with interactive exhibits designed for children 8 and under, Body Link -- a 2,000-square-foot health update center designed to make medical and health news clear -- and the Human Body IMAX film in partnership with the Discovery Channel, BBC and the National Science Foundation.

In addition, he led the creation of Dinosaur Hall and TerraLink, an area that presents breaking news and scientific discoveries about Earth.

While Andorfer succeeded as head of the science center, he suffered a personal tragedy in March 1999, when his 13-year-old son, Gregory, died from complications of arthrogryposis, a degenerative muscle disease.

By Lorraine Mirabella and Bill Atkinson

Sun staff writer Robert Little contributed to this article.

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L, COX,

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