Museum Official Could Be Fired

A curatorial associate in the entomology department of the Museum of Comparative Zoology may lose his job in the wake of a series of thefts allegedly perpetrated by a museum volunteer, sources said yesterday.

David G. Furth, the curatorial associate, had been responsible for supervising volunteer Gary P. Dahlstrom, who was arrested by Harvard police earlier this month on charges that he stole parts of exhibits, as well as the personal property of museum employees.

Furth said the Dahlstrom issue was only one of many "problems with personnel" that had put his job in jeopardy. Furth said he did not understand why he had been singled out for blame for Dahlstrom's thefts, and he indicated he would discuss the matter with the museum's administrative director, Jay L. Taft, later this week.

"Nothing has been finalized at this point," Furth said yesterday. "I did seem to be blamed for it. I don't know why."

Taft did not return repeated telephone calls to his office yesterday and last week. Calls to his home went unanswered. The museum's director, Professor of Biological Oceanography James J. McCarthy, has also not returned phone calls.

Mary C. Reynolds, a human resources professional responsible for screening workers at the museum, did not return a phone call to her office yesterday.

Furth said Dahlstrom had spent time after hours at the museum when he was not assigned to do so. "There had been some problems with Dahlstrom, and I warned him once," Furth said.

He said the number of volunteers under his supervision varies, but that he has had as many as four volunteers at a time.

"This was a weird case," Furth said. "This guy was a con man and a thief. He fooled a lot of people, including myself, but I wasn't the only one."

Dahlstrom was arrested by University police detectives Richard Estes and Richard Mederos at Boston's South Station as he arrived on an Amtrak train from Florida July 17. Harvard Police Lt. John F. Rooney said officers have recovered samples of insects and other museum property the suspect had allegedly taken from the museum.

Furth said the missing items were mostly beetles from the museum's research collection.

Dahlstrom has been arraigned on multiple counts of larceny, according to Sharon Scott, a spokesperson in the Middlesex district attorney's office.

Furth also noted that the most valuable thing stolen from the museum--a camera with an estimated value of between $4,000 and $6,000--had been recovered by Harvard police. In addition, Furth said, a tip from him led to the recovery of other stolen materials.

Furth said part of the blame for the incidents went to University security guards assigned to the museum. "There were some incidents that didn't seem to be taken too seriously by security guards," Furth said.

Security supervisor Thomas F. Henaghan said yesterday the security guards assigned to the museum were extremely well-trained. He said the problem might be a "lack of security" attributable to the fact that only one guard is assigned to cover the entire area around the museum.

That decision is made by the museum, not security management

Dahlstrom was arrested by University police detectives Richard Estes and Richard Mederos at Boston's South Station as he arrived on an Amtrak train from Florida July 17. Harvard Police Lt. John F. Rooney said officers have recovered samples of insects and other museum property the suspect had allegedly taken from the museum.

Furth said the missing items were mostly beetles from the museum's research collection.

Dahlstrom has been arraigned on multiple counts of larceny, according to Sharon Scott, a spokesperson in the Middlesex district attorney's office.

Furth also noted that the most valuable thing stolen from the museum--a camera with an estimated value of between $4,000 and $6,000--had been recovered by Harvard police. In addition, Furth said, a tip from him led to the recovery of other stolen materials.

Furth said part of the blame for the incidents went to University security guards assigned to the museum. "There were some incidents that didn't seem to be taken too seriously by security guards," Furth said.

Security supervisor Thomas F. Henaghan said yesterday the security guards assigned to the museum were extremely well-trained. He said the problem might be a "lack of security" attributable to the fact that only one guard is assigned to cover the entire area around the museum.

That decision is made by the museum, not security management