The Schiele Museum is Saying ‘bye for now’ to Beloved T-Rex Exhibit

“Wankel” the T-Rex stands tall at the Schiele Museum. June 18th will be Wankel T-Rex’s final day in the Schiele Museum for some time.

After a 23-year stint as the forefront of the Schiele Museum’s dinosaur exhibits, Wankel T-Rex is going away for what museum spokeswoman Tiffani Stewart refers to as a face lift.

June 18 will be Wankel T-Rex’s final day in the Schiele Museum for some time. The museum first acquired Wankel from a traveling museum exhibit in September 1999. The Schiele, located at 1500 E. Garrison Blvd., Gastonia, was the last museum on the tour. When Tony Pasour, the museum’s current assistant director for interpretation, overheard that the dinosaurs were all up for sale, he knew Wankel had to stay.

Around the same time, The Dickson Foundation donated money to the Schiele so they could purchase a dinosaur. Since they had the money, and several choices in dinosaurs, museum goers voted on which dinosaur to keep. Wankel won by a landslide, and whether that’s because T-Rexes are arguably the most notorious dinosaurs, or because Pasour admittedly sat the ballot box right at Wankel’s feet is irrelevant, because the Schiele Museum has had Wankel on display ever since.

In recent years, the science regarding what kind of role the T-Rex played in its ecosystem has changed quite a bit, according to Pasour. T-Rex has historically been perceived to have been a hunter. Science observes the large and sharp teeth of the T-Rex as evidence that it was a carnivore. However, more recently, science has started to suggest that despite being a carnivore, it is possible that the T-Rex was not so much a hunter as an opportunist, Pasour said, adding that, “Being big and scary would also be helpful if you wanted to take someone else’s dinner, right?”

Nick Pritchard (6) watches a dinosaur video in the main lobby near “Wankel” the T-Rex in 2014.

The scientific community also recognizes that T-Rex is closely related to modern birds. Pasour noted that it is likely T-Rex were tending their young in a way similar to that of modern birds.

People love dinosaurs, “they are so huge in our pop culture,” Pasour said.

These notions of T-Rex that many have frequently been confirmed by movies like Jurassic Park, but the museum would like to honor the new-found evidence suggesting a different nature to the T-Rex.

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“It’s good for museums to periodically update their information,” Pasour said.

When asked what the new exhibit might look like, museum personnel said it is top secret. Pasour did mention that when he returns, Wankel will be playing into, “A much more dramatic and unexpected display. Was he the coolest? I don’t know. Maybe there is someone cooler to take his place.”

The Schiele Museum urges Gaston County residents to, “come say bye to him!”

From June 1-18, the Schiele Museum will be partnering with Appalachian State University’s paleontology department to present The Dinosaur King. The program will feature the App State students’ training and research and will explain in greater detail why the image of T-Rex has changed. Following June 18, the entrance display at the Schiele will be covered up for construction. The DinoSafari exhibit, however, will remain on display through July 30.

The new entrance exhibit will be unveiled late September of this year, an exact date has not been announced.

Former Gazette writer Bill Poteat stands next to “Wankel” the T-Rex at the Schiele Museum in 2021. June 18th will be Wankel T-Rex’s final day in the Schiele Museum for some time.

This article originally appeared on The Gaston Gazette: The Schiele Museum is Saying ‘bye for now’ to Beloved T-Rex Exhibit