Re: donations

["Zita M. Cael" <CAEL@ACC.FAU.EDU>]

    Brian Rogers refers to a library missing out for reasons beyond
    its control.  A few years ago, one of the original members of the
    Theatre Department passed away.  This University had suffered an
    administrative bloodbath some years earlier which ushered in an
    entire new top tier of administrators, including a new dean of
    her college.  This dean and the department chair were not
    particularly supportive of the production work, including
    extraordinary costuming, that this department member provided,
    year after year, for over two decades.  Teaching faculty in the
    department were philosophically and morally supportive, but
    politically powerless to prevent harm coming to her, being under
    the gun themselves.  When she died, it turned out she had changed
    the provisions of her will.  The expected scholarship from the
    sale of her house was no more, and her extensive library, which
    the faculty had been anticipating being added to our special
    collections, was partially donated to another institution (one
    without our crying need, btw), and partially sold to a local used
    books dealer with explicit instruction that NOT ONE BOOK could be
    sold to us.  This dealer was sympathetic to all parties in the
    situation, and complied with her wishes, but located a scarce 
    miniature book (crippled) on ladies' costuming which her friends
    on the Theatre faculty and the Library faculty placed in Special
    Collection in her memory.  Her mother is probably not aware this
    was done, as she remained convinced, last I heard, that the
    cruelty her daughter suffered within the college contributed to
    her death.
    Z. M. Cael, Special Collections and Archives