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By Theresa Foreman
One of the University of Nebraska's most inter
esting cast of characters is on display in Morrill
Hall on the UNL campus.
For over one hundred years the University of
Nebraska State Museum has provided research
tools, education and bigger-than-Iife exhibits for
Nebraskans and for visitors from across the
nation. '
The museum was established in June, 1871. In
1927 the University of Nebraska Board of
Regents approved the construction of Morrill Hall
to house the museum. The museum was named
for Charles Morrill, president of the board from
1892 to 1899. But the museum collections have
grown, and in 1970 the Research and Systematic
Collections diyison of the museum was moved
to the fourth and fifth floors of Nebraska Hall,
said Harvey Gunderson, associate director of the
museum.
Less than one percent of the museum's col
lections are on exhibit at any one time in Morrill
Hall, he said, adding there are nearly three million
specimens in the biological and anthropological
collections in addition to the rocks, minerals,
crystals and meteorites.
The museum's collections are a result of team
work, Gunderson said.
He said the museum has received specimens as
gifts and has help from many persons in the col
lection of specimens.
The museum has an elephant fossil which was
collected from 84 of Nebraska's 93 counties, he
said.
The museum's strongest collection is the verte
brate life collection, Gunderson said, and the
museum's elephant fossil collection is so popular
the museum has been dubbed elephant hall.
Less well-known but just as valuable as the
exhibits is the research collections. These collect
ions are an intricate part of any museum program,
said Lloyd Tanner, coordinator of the systematic
collections.
"You must have long hours of proper research
before you can make any display," he explained.
Collections for the museum were started in
1871," Tanner said, but in the past 20 years, the
researchers have been trying to fill the gaps of
nearly completed specimens.
Centred cn p. 8
