Chevron Contributes $1 Million to Oakland Museum of California, Lead Gift Launches Capital Campaign to Enhance Museum’s Gallery of California History

San Ramon, Calif., Feb. 6, 2006 – Chevron Corporation today announced a $1 million contribution to help renovate the Oakland Museum of California’s (OMCA) Gallery of California History.
“Chevron’s contribution is an investment in education that will expand learning opportunities about the state’s entrepreneurial culture for thousands of Bay Area children and families each year,” said John McDonald, Vice President of Strategic Planning for Chevron, and a volunteer on the museum’s board of directors. “A visit to the Oakland Museum of California is a wonderful way to understand the dynamics of the state’s environment and the content of the character of its people.”
Chevron’s contribution is the lead gift of a major capital campaign for improvements at the museum. OMCA is the only museum in the country devoted entirely to California’s art, history and nature. Located in downtown Oakland, nearly half of OMCA’s 150,000 annual visitors last year were children who participated in the museum’s school programs. OMCA acts as a satellite campus for history and culture studies for more than 200 East Bay schools. 
“Chevron’s generous support will allow people of all ages to explore the great diversity of cultural experiences that characterize California’s past and have produced the contemporary California we know today,” said Lori Fogarty, the museum’s executive director.
Opening to the public in early 2008, the new Gallery of California History will have a variety of exhibits, technologies, and broad hands-on educational programs. The museum’s Hands-On History Center will feature interactive stations where children will solve riddles to learn about Oakland history, listen to a story about California’s wildlife in the performance area or create artwork in new classrooms.
Chevron is a strong supporter of educational programs in Oakland and the East Bay. The Company has an 18-year relationship with OMCA, annually sponsoring science education programs and the Family Explorations Program. Family Explorations explores California’s culture, art, history and ecology with hands-on activities for children and adults.
Founded in 1969, the Oakland Museum of California has distinguished itself as a significant community resource and progressive leader in educational and interpretative activities for students and families.
Chevron traces its California beginnings 127 years ago to the establishment of Pacific Coast Oil Co. in Southern California by petroleum pioneers, the company that eventually became Chevron.
Chevron Corporation is one of the world’s leading energy companies. With more than 53,000 employees, Chevron subsidiaries conduct business in approximately 180 countries around the world, producing and transporting crude oil and natural gas, and refining, marketing and distributing fuels and other energy products. Chevron is based in San Ramon, Calif. More information on Chevron is available at www.chevron.com.

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Contacts:  Donald Campbell, Chevron, 925-842-0050
Elizabeth Whipple, Oakland Museum of California, 510-637-0177

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