Jay Villemarette
 | A major contributor to this article appears to have a close connection with its subject. (August 2024) |
Jay Villemarette | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Occupation | Entrepreneur |
| Title | Founder, president and CEO of
Skulls Unlimited International, Inc. Museum of Osteology & Skeletons: Museum of Osteology |
| Spouse | Kim Villemarette[1] (m. 1985) |
| Children | 4 |
| Website | skeletonmuseum |
Jay Villemarette (pronounced ˈvɪləmərɛt) is the owner, founder and president of both Skulls Unlimited International, Inc. and Skeletons: Museum of Osteology.[2]
Early life
[edit]His interest in skulls began in 1972 at 7 years of age, when he found a dog skull in the woods near his house in Levittown, Pennsylvania.[1][3] After encouragement by his father, he began collecting skulls.[3] After moving to Moore, Oklahoma, Villemarette continued collecting skulls.[1] As his interest grew, neighbors and friends began bringing him carcasses of interesting animals that they had found.[1] During this time, he tested many methods of removing the soft tissue from the bones, including burning, acid, and boiling the bones before discovering dermestid beetles.[1] Villemarette graduated from Moore High School before attending Moore-Norman Technology Center in Entrepreneurship.[4] Before founding Skulls Unlimited, he worked as an auto-body mechanic.[2]
Career
[edit]Skulls Unlimited International
[edit]After finishing high school, Villemarette began cleaning and selling skulls as a side job.[2] After losing his job as an auto-body mechanic, he decided to try selling skulls as a full time occupation.[2] He began by creating a printed list of skulls for sale in 1985.[1] In 1986, Skulls Unlimited was founded as a provider of osteological specimens.[5] Skulls Unlimited International, Inc. is now the premier provider of osteological specimens to nature centers, museums, medical schools, and films.[1] All of Jay's sons still work for Skulls Unlimited International, Inc., as well as his nephew Joey Villemarette.[6]
Skulls Unlimited International, Inc. not only sources their specimens, they still also process the carcasses using the methods Jay perfected in his adolescence.[7] This process begins with removing the majority of the soft tissue from the carcasses by hand.[1] Then two methods are used to detail clean the skulls: dermestid beetles and maceration.[7] After that, skulls are whitened with hydrogen peroxide[8] and articulated by running hardware through the bones.[1][9]
Museum of Osteology
[edit]In 2010, Villemarette opened the Museum of Osteology in South Oklahoma City, which holds over 300 skeletons on display.[10] The 7,000 square foot space holds specimens like a 40 foot long humpback whale and the skull of a rare Javan rhinoceros.[8] He developed the museum primarily in hopes of it being utilized as an educational tool.[3] The Museum of Osteology shares its space with Skulls Unlimited International, Inc.'s business office and is adjacent to the processing center.[8]
Skeletons: Museum of Osteology
[edit]After success of the Oklahoma City museum, Villemarette opened a second, larger site in Orlando, Florida in May 2015, this one holding 500 skeletons.[11] The specimens on display include an 11 foot tall African bush elephant and a Sumatran rhinoceros.[11] Villemarette considered other locations for his second museum, including Las Vegas, before deciding on Orlando.[12]
Television appearances
[edit]Interest in his business has generated multiple media visits, and Villemarette has appeared in many television shows, including Dirty Jobs with Mike Rowe.
| Title | Year | Role | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|
| Modern Marvels | 2013 | Himself | Episode: "Strangest Countdown" |
| Taboo | 2012 | Himself | Episode: "Living with the Dead"[6] |
| Auction Kings | 2012 | Himself | Episode: "Les Paul Guitar/Giant Bat" |
| Modern Marvels | 2011 | Himself | Episode: "Built by Hand" |
| Weird, True & Freaky | 2010 | Himself | Episode: "Eternally Stuffed" |
| Dirty Jobs | 2006 | Himself | Episode: "Skull Cleaner"[7] |
| Ripley's Believe It or Not! | 2001 | Himself | Episode: "Skull Supplier" |
Private life
[edit]Villemarette met his future wife, Kim Villemarette, when they were in high school.[9] They married in 1985.[1] Together they have 4 children, including three sons: Jay Jr., Josh, and Jaron, and a daughter: Shala.[6] All of Villemarette's sons are involved with the business and all of his children have participated in processing carcasses for the company from a young age.[6]
References
[edit]- ^ a b c d e f g h i j Urstadt, Bryant (7 January 2006). "I'm Going to Rib-Cage World". Outside Online. Outside. Retrieved January 31, 2019.
- ^ a b c d "Life as a skull cleaner is a messy job". Reuters. Reuters. 3 April 2007. Retrieved January 31, 2019.
- ^ a b c Gray, Aaron Wright (30 October 2010). "Villemarette gets the skeletons out of the closet". Norman Transcript. Retrieved January 31, 2019.
- ^ Aguilar, Anna. "Skeleton museum opens". The Moore American. Retrieved 2019-02-01.
- ^ "Where 'how greasy human is' is part of the job". NBC News. NBC. 30 October 2006. Retrieved January 31, 2019.
- ^ a b c d "Living with the Dead". Taboo. Season 9. Episode 9. June 17, 2012. National Geographic. National Geographic.
- ^ a b c ""Skull Cleaner"". Dirty Jobs. Season 2. Episode 13. July 11, 2006. Discovery Channel.
- ^ a b c "Museum of Osteology and Skulls Unlimited". Atlas Obscura. Retrieved 2019-02-01.
- ^ a b "Pilot". Skeleton, Inc. 2011. Hoff Productions. Netflix.
- ^ Mentesana, Marie. ""The hip bone's connected to the ..." Find out the answer at the Museum of Osteology". Red Dirt Report. Retrieved January 31, 2019.
- ^ a b "Skeletons: Museum of Osteology". Atlas Obscura. Retrieved January 31, 2019.
- ^ Aguilar, Anna (May 2015). "Oklahomans open skeleton museum in Orlando". Norman Transcript. Retrieved 2019-02-01.
