Download PDF - University of Idaho Library

The forgotten legacies
Reminders of the past are scattered across campus
Gone. They're all gone. Most of those who
have given to the university have died.
The rest simply faded from our
memories, but what haven't faded are the gifts
they left behind. Scattered across campus are
monuments of friendship, good fai th, and
gratitude. In the forms of plaques, trees,
exhibits or museums, the gifts are to be appreciated
and enjoyed.
The most obvious are the commemorative
trees planted by visiting dignitaries on the Ad
Lawn. When strolling through the tall trees,
students can read the plaques that note the
benefactor, the date and the type of tree.
Even though Idaho is a small university,
some very prominent people have visited
campus. In the past 93 years, President
Theodore Roosevelt, President William Taft,
U.S. Senator Frank Church and Eleanor
Roosevelt have visited campus and planted
trees, which now provide a beautiful setting
for the Ad Building.
With a little curiosity and climbing, the Jack O'Connor
Wildlife Collection and the Department of Biological Science's
Natural History Museum can both be explored on the third
floor of the Life Science Building.
The O'Connor collection features 50 animal specimens from
Africa and North America.
Just off to the side of the O'Connor collection is the Audubon
Room containing prints, books, paintings, portraits and
aquatints. This collection was donated by Earl Larrison,
associate professor of Zoology.
Out of sight.
In the Ad Building tower are
the speakers for the David
Memorial Carillon which
consist of 183 bell units.
(photo by J. Yost)
With more curiosity and a little less climbing,
the UI Museum can be found on the
second floor of the Faculty Office Complex­
West. The museum was started in 1964 by a
faculty committee and the academic vice
president. All of the several thousand pieces
in the collection have been donated by
faculty, students, alumni, townspeople and
organizations.
Some of the major collections of the museum
are the African exhibit, which is one of the
finest in the Northwest, even rivaling that of
the Seattle Art Museum. Another is the Arab
collection which represents twelve Middle
East countries, and features the finest display
of Arabian dress in the western United States.
Although the museum has many outstanding
exhibits, it serves another purpose.
For the last sixteen years, the museum has
also been used for museum studies.
The most ellusive of the gifts is the David
Memorial Carillon, which was presented to the university by
the Davids' five children, all UI graduates, in memory of Mr.
and Mrs. Frank David. The Davids, who founded David's
Department Store, came to Moscow in 1889, the same year the
university was founded. The Carillon consists of 183 small
bronze bell units. The bell vibrations are picked up electronically,
amplified more than a million times and
reproduced from speakers in the tower of the Ad Building.
Although some of the gifts have been forgotten, they remind
us of the university's unique and colorful history. D
All scrolled up.
The David Memorial Carrillon
bells and control console are kept
in an extra room in the Music
Building. Jackie Roelen, senior
secretary at the School of Music.
changes the music scroll (photo by
P.Jerome)
An "old"lady.
Portrait DeFemme. by Jean Raoux
{1677-1734) is one of the thousands
of pieces ln the UI Museum. Raoux.
whose works are exhibited all over
the world. won the Prix de Rome.
the forem011t award for an artist. in
1704. (photo P. Jerome)
Forgotten Gifts 111