Panama Canal Museum

The goal of the partnership is to preserve the Panama Canal Museum collection and the history of the United States in Panama. Three main areas of concentration are at play within the University of Florida.

The George A. Smathers Libraries

A PCM Collection Fund has been established within the
libraries in the amount of $2,000. Now that the fund is open,
contributions may come from any source. The PCM and UF will
coordinate further fund raising activities for the purpose of adding
to that fund during the next few years, with the expectation of
building an endowment. Once the endowment reaches $100,000, it
will take its place in a queue for state matching funds of $50,000.
The purpose of the PCM Collection Fund is to provide funds
for digitization; preservation; processing PCM items transferred to
UF libraries; planning and conducting exhibits and events,
including those associated with the 2014 anniversary of the opening
of the Canal; printing; press releases, and the continued promotion
of the PCM integration with UF; and other related activities.
Beyond the original $2,000 used to open the fund, the PCM
has allocated from its reserves $15,000 to the libraries this year to
digitize all Balboa and Cristobal High School yearbooks for the
years ending in 5 and 0, along with a number of photographs and
historical documents and publications.

The Center for Latin American Studies

A PCM Research and Scholarship Fund will be established within the Center for Latin American Studies. An
initial investment of $2,000 will open the account, followed by additional funding of $2,000 for two research
scholarships this summer at UF.
The Research and Scholarship Fund will foster contemporary research on the Panama Canal, the Canal Zone,
Panama and the role of the United States in the history of Panama.

The Samuel Proctor Oral History Program (SPOHP)

The SPOHP will conduct broadcast-quality oral history interviews that will be suitable for use in video and audio
podcasts, radio and film documentaries, library exhibits and scholarly monographs. The Museum is working with
UF to conduct a series of oral history interviews at the annual PC Society reunion in Orlando this year and will be
seeking candidates who are interested in sharing their stories of life in Panama and the Canal Zone.
Funding for the oral history program will depend on the number of interviews to be taken. At this time, we
estimate that close to $10,000 will be expended this year.
These three elements of the University of Florida are working closely with the Panama Canal Museum to ensure
that the Museum’s collection is preserved for the long-term and UF’s position as the definitive source for
information on the American experience in Panama is enhanced.