Special Collections News
Charles and Pauline LeWarne visit Special Collections
Posted on Wed, 2010-12-01 14:37
On October 20, 2010, we enjoyed a visit with WWU alumnus Charles LeWarne (BA/BAE 1955) and Pauline LeWarne. They brought additional items for the Charles Pierce LeWarne Collection, part of The Western Collection, as well as three Northwest history-related children’s books published in the 1930s, welcome gifts to the Special Collections Children’s Collection.
Charles LeWarne, who received a master’s degree in history from the University of California, Berkeley, and a doctoral degree in history from the University of Washington, is the author of numerous articles, book chapters, and monographs concerning regional history, including, most recently The Love Israel Family (2009) , the first extensively researched study of the well-known Western Washington commune.
He has been an enthusiastic contributor to The Western Collection and we thank him for his generous continuing support of this unique archive of scholarly and creative works by members of the Western community.
Up Western! Special Collections Book of the Month
Posted on Wed, 2010-12-01 13:23
As Western faces strenuous fiscal challenges,
it may help to remember that the institution has met and surmounted such situations before, notably in the mid-1970s. At that time, budgetary cutbacks resulted in invocation of the dread Reduction in Force (RIF) policy resulting in numerous lay-offs.
Western’s faculty engaged in vigorous debate with then-President Jerry Flora, a peppery leader with a distinctly confrontational style. Out of this environment came Up Western, a slim volume illustrating the viewpoint of the then-faculty union (AFT Local 2084) through cartoons and sharp caricatures of Flora created by faculty members Bob Balas and Bob Urso, professors of French and Art, respectively.
Balas, who taught from 1969 to 2001, passed away in 2006; Urso came to Western in 1969 and retired in 2008. Together, they created indelible images of the interactions between equally passionate parties at a pivotal moment in Western’s history. As Up Western demonstrates, a little humor at such times never hurts.
~Marian Alexander, Special Collections
Fine Facsimile Publisher Visits Special Collections
Posted on Wed, 2010-11-24 11:19On October 8, 2010, a representative of the fine facsimile publisher M. Moleiro, based in Barcelona, visited Special Collections while participating in the 2010 Seattle Antiquarian Book Fair. The M. Moleiro company specializes in the reproduction of codices, maps, and works of art usually made on parchment, vellum, paper, or papyrus created between the 13th and 16th centuries. Many national as well as major museum libraries hold facsimiles created by the company. Here, Jeanne Armstrong of the library faculty and Kathryn Vulic of the English department examine examples of Moleiro’s outstanding work.
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Paul and Mary Ann Ford Continue Their Generous Ways
Posted on Wed, 2010-11-24 10:36
Thanks to the generosity of Paul and Mary Ann Ford, Special Collections can now offer deluxe seating to visitors interested in the Paul and Mary Ann Ford Fly Fishing Collection and other fly fishing resources. In May 2010, the Fords donated funds enabling the purchase of special furniture and in September, two new wing-back chairs, upholstered in fabric with a fly fishing theme, were installed in the corner of our Research Room where fly fishing books and related materials are continuously displayed. We thank the Fords for their continuing support of our efforts to develop a premiere resource for fly fishing research.
Special Collections Receives Magnificent Gift
Posted on Fri, 2010-09-17 12:21
In honor of their daughter Anna Eblen, long-time member of the faculty of Western's Dept. of Communication, Joe and Roberta Eblen of Asheville, North Carolina, have presented Special Collections with a rare copy of the 1966 Collector's Edition of The Original Water-Color Paintings by John James Audubon for The Birds of America.
Issued by the American Heritage Publishing Company and limited to 750 copies, of which Western's is no. 635, the set consists of a beautifully bound volume containing the complete captions of the 431 loose colored plates that accompany the volume. The plates are housed in the trays of a walnut display case, also donated by Joe and Roberta Eblen, that was especially made to showcase the set.
The plates in this edition were the first color plates reproduced from the originals in the collections of the New York Historical Society. In superb condition, this wonderful resource will be of interest to students in many disciplines. We welcome anyone interested to come and see this new treasure, on display now in the Special Collections Research Room.
