The Yale Peabody Museum of Natural History today announced a $4 million gift by Carbonite founder and executive chairman David Friend ‘69 to renovate the museum’s auditorium into a state-of-the-art mineral and gem gallery and multipurpose programming space. Friend will also establish an endowment to support the displays and programming within the space. The project’s completion is timed to coincide with the Peabody’s 150th anniversary in 2016. “We are very grateful for the incredible generosity of David Friend,” says David Skelly, director of the Yale Peabody Museum. “This renovation project will reimagine our auditorium as both an exhibit space and a room in which groups can gather together for teaching and learning. The remarkable specimens will complement our displays in the adjacent Hall of Minerals, Earth and Space, and advance the museum’s

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