Hidden Gem: The Oscar E. Monnig Meteorite Gallery Celebrates 10 Years

TCU College of Science & Engineering
6/6/13 9:09 AM
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Hidden Gem
The Oscar E. Monnig Meteorite Gallery celebrates 10 years

By Jenna Simard, CSE communications intern A tour of the Oscar E. Monnig Meteorite Gallery offers visitors a glimpse of one of the worlds most extensive university-based meteorite collections, with specimens hailing from locations across the globe. The facility is located on the Universitys campus, alongside classrooms in the Sid W. Richardson Building. By 2000, 278 meteorites had been found in Texas. The Oscar E. Monnig Collection includes 201 (72 percent) of these. Visitors can observe the oldest meteorite known to man and witness the only meteorite in documented history to have hit a human being. On Feb. 1, 2003the day that the space shuttle Columbia explodedthe gallery opened its doors to the public. However, the collection itself originates from a time decades prior to the Space Age. It is the product of an 80-year quest that started with one Fort Worth businessmans fascination for meteorites. Oscar E. Monnig graduated with a law degree from the University of Texas at Austin in 1924. After a short practice, he joined the family business in retail and eventually became CEO of Monnig Department stores. Oscar E. Monnig Meteorite Gallery He had no formal education in meteoritics, but since his youth pursued a keen interest in astronomy. In the 1930s, Monnig began gathering his own collection of meteorites, and worked with his large network of local retailers and media to amass a sizeable percentage of the collection.
Monnig avidly sought additions to his collection during the most demanding period of his business career, according to Art Ehlmann, Ph.D., emeritus professor in the Department of Geology at TCU. In the 1960s, Monnig contacted Ehlmann to help him identify rocks. Over the years, the two worked together to maintain and develop the collection, forming a partnership that ultimately secured the gallerys future. Less than a decade after meeting Ehlmann, Monnig proposed the idea of donating his meteorites to TCU. Under the terms that the geology department would care for the collection, the University accepted his gift. From 1975 to 1985, Monnig gradually transferred his meteorites to TCU. By 1982, the University had acquired nearly 400 meteorites and had garnered the attention of museums around the world, including the Smithsonian.
When Monnig died in 1999, he endowed TCU with nearly his

http://www.cse.tcu.edu/newsletter/2013-spring-HiddenGem.asp Page 1 of 2
TCU College of Science & Engineering
6/6/13 9:09 AM
Oscar E. Monnig
When Monnig died in 1999, he endowed TCU with nearly his entire estate for education, care and maintenance of the meteorite collection. Ehlmann oversaw the development and maintenance of the collection. He had traded with almost every major museum in the world to acquire some of the most rare and historically significant meteorites.
Today, the collection consists of more than 1,700 specimens. Of that amount, only about 5 percent is on display in the gallery. Though Arizona State University boasts one of the largest university-based collections, no other university offers a world-class gallery of such caliber. Rhiannon Mayne, Ph.D., assistant professor and curator of the collection, assumed the position in 2009, after a postdoctoral fellowship at the Smithsonian. In her past four years here, she has coordinated the addition of at least 300 meteorites to the collection. The Monnig Gallery is one of the best galleries youll find, said Mayne, who cites the facilitys isolated location as an advantage. The gallery has the ability to educate visitors about meteorites in a way that some larger museums cannot. Its a feather in TCUs cap. Mayne plans to build a temperature-controlled storage facility during summer 2013. The unit is designed to reduce deterioration, improve security and make room for the collections growth. In addition, the gallery will continue to facilitate educational outreach, as Monnig requested. When Monnig donated his collection to the university, he wanted to assure that it remained in his home of Fort Worth, a city that supported his family over the years. Thus, TCU became host to one of the worlds most significant meteorite collections in the world. With the construction of the gallery in 2003, TCU was able to pay tribute to Monnigs contributions to science. Ultimately, the gallery will continue to fulfill his desire for education in the community he loved. The facility is open to the public Monday through Friday, from 1 to 4 p.m., and all day Saturday. Private tours with a gallery assistant are also available for groups. In the past 10 years, Ehlmann estimates the gallery has welcomed more than 30,000 visitors. For more information visit http://www.monnigmuseum.tcu.edu.
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http://www.cse.tcu.edu/newsletter/2013-spring-HiddenGem.asp
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The Oscar E. Monnig Meteorite Gallery celebrates 10 years

When Monnig died in 1999, he endowed TCU with nearly his

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