Former Memphis mayor Dick Hackett will be the new head of Wonders, the city’s cultural exhibition series, Hackett confirmed Wednesday.
Wonders will be privately funded by the Plough Foundation as a not-for-profit corporation. It had been operating as a division of the city since it was conceived in 1987 during Hackett’s mayoral administration. The city will continue to support it with a $400,000 allocation this year.
Hackett will have an office in Pembroke Square downtown.
Since he left the mayor’s office in 1991, Hackett has been working for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital as a fundraiser and public representative. He said he “loved” the job and plans to stay active as a volunteer.
Glenn Campbell, the current head of Wonders, will stay on as chief operating officer.
Wonders got off to a strong start with the Ramesses the Great exhibition but has struggled in recent years. The next exhibition, consisting of Egyptian art from the British Museum, will be in 2001 at The Pyramid.
Hackett will be working in tandem with the man who defeated him, Mayor Willie Herenton.
(You may write John Branston at branston@memphismagazine.com)
