Shelton Donates Russian Mineral Collection To Michigan Tech's Seaman Mineral Museum
From September 17, 2004 Tech Topics, Michigan Tech

William O. "Bill" Shelton is donating an extraordinary collection of thousands of
mineral specimens to the Seaman Mineral Museum.

Shelton's gift includes more than 350 types of minerals, one-of-a-kind rarities and display-grade pieces from classic mineral-collecting sites in the former Soviet Union, as well as reference materials. In addition, a portion of Shelton's estate will be donated to help the museum acquire more specimens.

"This past June, Bill drove out to the Keweenaw from Massachusetts and brought with him a remarkable group of specimens, the tip of the iceberg," said Stanley J. Dyl II, the museum's director of development and planning.

Among them are a 14-inch plate of smoky quartz crystals-with one six-inch crystal, from Russia's Polar Urals; a six-inch nodule of rich blue turquoise from near Tucson, Ariz., a one-inch, single emerald crystal from the world famous mines of Muzo, Colombia; a cranberry-red, 2.5-inch rhodochrosite crystal from the Sweet Home Mine, Colo., and an eight-inch slice of the Brahin Meteorite, found in 1810 in Minsk, Byelorussia, Russia. The Brahin Meteorite is a high-grade pallasite--a rare meteorite type showing an olivine/nickel-iron intergrowth.

These pieces are on display at the museum, which is open 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Monday-Friday and through September on weekends, noon-5 p.m. All are in the museum's elevator lobby, case 139, except for the meteorite, which is in case 16, in the museum.

Shelton, of Westfield, Mass., has spent nearly four decades building one of the finest private Russian mineral collections in the U.S.

"Mineral collecting represents my love of nature and desire to know more about the world around me; it is my on-going quest to better understand one of the most fascinating aspects of the natural system," Shelton said. "A hidden beauty lies within the earth in the form of minerals and gems."

"News of Bill's gift was an unexpected and welcome surprise." Dyl said. "Major gifts from friends who are not Michigan Tech alumni are becoming a trend, largely because they support the museum's mission and it's plans to expand to a new site on Quincy Hill."

Shelton agreed. "In this time of closure and storage of mineral collections, I see a place that is intent on displaying minerals for the public to enjoy," he said. "The Seaman Museum is one of the few places that is actively expanding and has a public systematic collection available for viewing.

"Collectors should take note and support the cause they believe will best secure a future place for people to go and see minerals."