[Rockhounds] Disposing of collections

[William Dicks]

Touching story on the topic of "Disposing of Collections"..........
Summer of 2008, Art Weinle, one of the founding members of the Michigan
Earth Science Teachers Association (MESTA) was diagnosed with a terminal
cancer. He was a life long educator with several degrees in Geology and
the Earth Sciences. He worked with teachers and students of all ages as
well as helping to establish State standards for the teaching of Earth
Science. His collection was extensive to say the least, and VERY well
organized with the sample name, classification, geologic age, place
collected, chemistry, ...etc. Knowing he was terminal, his last wish was
to see his life time collection distributed to teachers that would share
his work with students. Some 30 Earth Science teachers were to meet at
his home to divide up his collection. Art wanted to be able to answer
geology guestions and tell stories about his finds. Unfortunately, he
passed 6 days before the "giveaway party". He lives on through his
collection which is now spread throughout Michigan and Ohio. Each
teacher received some 80+ samples of rocks and minerals along with some
yard pieces.
There are also other members of MESTA who have named MESTA in their
wills to "dispose" of their collections when the time comes.




Bill Dicks
Teacher,
Northville High School
Board Member,
Michigan Earth Science Teachers Association


>>> tangojuli at yahoo.com 01/15/09 1:40 AM >>>
Axel commented on those who will have to dispose of our collections
(children usually, fire dept in other cases) in our wake. Recently out
in the desert somewhere, friends and I discovered a dump pile in the
middle of nowhere onprivate land to be developed soon. Someone just
opened up the tailgate and pressed eject. We totally enjoyed it, but it
was like an archaeological dig, and we learned a lot about the former
owner. My friends were thrilled to dig thru the historic bottle
collection dating back to the 1890s and found slabs with cab outlines
someone once planned to cut, jade, and other locality peices my friends
recognized with breathless excitement. We found beautiful geodes and
hunks of vivid chrysocolla that were dumped along with the detritus of a
garage--wheel ramps, an old push sweeper, a 70s bicycle, a broom, old
oil cans, etc. I found a collection of tabasco bottles, and very old pop
bottle collection. I found what turned out to be a nice
 hunk of turquoise. The 1950s coleman lamp and 1970s olive oil can are
now part of my historic junk collection. 
The tin cooking utensils were mended by someone practically minded, but
the assemblage was a reminder that someday someone will see much of our
uncatelogued boxes and crates of unlabelled rocks and minerals as junk
to be disposed of (with the exception of Kreigh :). My fiance has a list
of a couple people to call in case of my demise to dispose of my
collection. Hopefully they will remember where I've been, because I've
been lazy in the last year or two of labelling stuff. (smile)
And instead of reading email, playing with topo maps and planning my
next trip, maybe I need to be out cleaning out my garage which is now a
shrine to collecting....
...tina 


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