SANTA ANA, Calif. (CNS) — Bowers Museum CEO and President Peter C. Keller has died at age 75, the museum announced Thursday.

Keller died Tuesday night, according to Kelly Bishop, a spokeswoman for the Santa Ana-based museum.

His last day on the job was spent “putting in a full day of work in preparation for the opening of an exceptional exhibition that he was very proud of, ‘Guo Pei: Art of Couture,’ followed by dinner with his wife,” according to a statement from the museum.

“With his leadership and experience, we have brought amazing exhibits from all around the world to Orange County,” said Anne Shih, the museum’s chair and board of governors.

Keller was born in Allentown, Pennsylvania, and graduated with a bachelor’s degree in geology from George Washington University. He earned master’s and doctorate degrees in geology from the University of Texas-Austin.

Keller started work at Bowers in 1991. Before that, he was director of education at the Gemological Institute of America and worked for nearly a decade at the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County.

Keller will be privately buried in his hometown and plans are in the works for a celebration of his life. Instead of flowers, donations were asked for the museum at www.bowers.org/donate.