Connect the cave to the campus
Celebrate Concordia University Texas’ Centennial by helping bring the story of a world-renowned Ice Age fossil site to campus.
Owned and managed by Concordia Texas, Friesenhahn Cave in northern San Antonio has yielded thousands of fossils, including exceptionally well-preserved remains of Homotherium serum, an extinct scimitar-toothed cat.
A group of science alumni has proposed a Centennial gift: a 3D-printed replica of the cat’s skeleton for display on Concordia Texas’ Austin campus. Your contribution can help create an exhibit that connects the cave’s scientific history with future generations of students.
Help us raise $55,000 to create the exhibit and support science education at Concordia Texas.
Why Friesenhahn Cave matters to Ice Age research
Friesenhahn Cave has yielded more than 4,000 teeth and bones representing over 30 genera of Ice Age animals. Its well-preserved Homotherium serum fossils, found alongside juvenile mammoth remains, have helped scientists understand how scimitar-toothed cats hunted and fed.
Since 1997, Concordia Texas faculty, students and scientific collaborators have studied and protected the site. The proposed exhibit would bring its story to the Austin campus through a replica skeleton, items donated by the La Brea Tar Pits and signage connecting Ice Age Texas with Concordia’s scientific legacy.
Learn about Friesenhahn CaveMake your mark, one bone at a time
A skull, a femur or one of the many vertebrae. Each bone offers a way to help build the exhibit.
Every bone has an assigned sponsorship amount, giving alumni, friends, faculty, staff and students opportunities to participate at different giving levels. You do not have to fund the entire skeleton to help bring it to campus.
Choose a bone to sponsor and help make the Friesenhahn Cave story part of everyday learning at Concordia Texas
Honor Dr. Laurence Meissner’s legacy of hands-on learning
This project honors Dr. Laurence Meissner, whose work helped advance understanding of Friesenhahn Cave and whose teaching encouraged students to study God’s creation through hands-on learning.
For science alumni, the exhibit would give a meaningful part of their Concordia experience a visible home on campus. For future students, it would offer an introduction to Texas paleontology and the questions that draw people into science.
What your gift will support
Our $55,000 fundraising goal will help create the exhibit and support science education at Concordia Texas. Gifts will fund:
- 3D printing of the Homotherium serum replica skeleton.
- Preparation of the display area.
- Signage explaining the fossils, Friesenhahn Cave and Concordia Texas’ connection to the site.
Any funds raised beyond the exhibit’s needs will support science education at Concordia Texas.
Frequently asked questions
-
What is Friesenhahn Cave?
Friesenhahn Cave is an Ice Age fossil site in northern San Antonio owned and managed by Concordia University Texas. It has yielded thousands of fossils, including scimitar-toothed cats and juvenile mammoths, that have contributed to research on prehistoric animals and their behavior.
-
What is Homotherium serum?
Homotherium serum is an extinct species of scimitar-toothed cat that lived during the Ice Age. Friesenhahn Cave contains some of its best-preserved specimens, helping scientists study the cat’s anatomy and feeding habits.
-
What will the proposed exhibit include?
The exhibit would feature a 3D-printed replica of a Homotherium serum skeleton, additional items donated by the La Brea Tar Pits in Los Angeles, and signage telling the story of Friesenhahn Cave and Ice Age Texas.
-
Will the exhibit be at Friesenhahn Cave?
The proposed exhibit would be on Concordia Texas’ Austin campus. Friesenhahn Cave is on university-owned property in northern San Antonio.
-
How does sponsoring a bone work
Each bone in the replica skeleton has an assigned sponsorship amount. Choose an available bone and contribute the corresponding amount to help fund the project.
-
What will my contribution support?
Contributions will support printing the replica skeleton, preparing the display area and creating interpretive signage. Any funds raised beyond the exhibit’s needs will support science education at Concordia Texas.
Help build what comes next
As Concordia Texas celebrates 100 years, you can help carry its tradition of hands-on learning into the next century.
Sponsor a bone to connect the cave to the campus and give future students a place to begin asking their own questions.
Fundraising goal: $55,000
Sponsor a Bone Today