Summer 2005

NEWS

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Minerva returns to her “rightful place”

Take 75 SUNY Geneseo alumni, faculty, staff and students, an unseasonably warm June afternoon, and an eight-foot-tall-plus replica of a Roman statue, and you have one memorable event in the history of the College.

The Milne Library lobby was filled to capacity on the afternoon of June 10 as the College’s new Minerva statue was unveiled and officially welcomed to her new home. The College’s original Minerva was last seen in 1951, when she graced the library in the Old Main building when Geneseo was a normal, or teacher training, school. It has been widely speculated that Minerva—who would have turned 99 this year—was razed, along with Old Main, and was perhaps even used as rubble to fill a parking lot.

Most people in attendance at the dedication were members of the Class of ’55, who were visiting campus to attend their 50th reunion. Following a series of other reunion happenings on campus that day, alumni were ushered into the 3:30 event, and Ed Rivenburgh, director of Milne Library, remarked to the crowd: “I’ve heard more stories about Minerva in the last 15 minutes than I’ve heard in all my years here at Geneseo. Help us put it all in writing,” he urged, and directed alumni to the half-dozen or so library staff members who were on hand.

The celebration also included members of the classes of ’50, ’45, ’40, ’35 and ’30.

Also present at the dedication were Eugene Huff ’35 and his wife Monica Costello Huff ’37, both of Livonia, N.Y.  Two members of the Class of 2005, AmyDiVincentis of Greece, N.Y., and Katherine Lamanna of Warsaw, N.Y., invited the Huffs to the podium to accept the statue on behalf of all Geneseo alumni. The couple had attended Geneseo “back when Minerva stood proudly and wisely in Old Main,” Eugene proclaimed. The Class of 2005 raised approximately $4,500 during its Senior Challenge fund raiser to have the statue recast.

Ed Rivenburgh, director of Milne Library, told those gathered: “It’s our day to celebrate the return of Minerva to her rightful place.”

Following Rivenburgh’s initial remarks, communication faculty member Chris Pruszynski took the podium, and introduced a 10-minute video “Searching for Minerva,” produced this spring by Geneseo students. The educational, yet humorous, video began with a series of questions such as What is Minerva? What is she a goddess of? And: What does she look like? The answers were offered by current students – with responses such as “uh,” and “I don’t know,” and, “I never heard of a Minerva”; “she might be the goddess of the ocean”; “she looks Greek”; “she wears a helmet”; and the like. The film then offered a short educational segment on Minerva, and her history at Geneseo, and the Class of 2005 fund-raising effort that led to her return. The film ended with a simple sentiment: “Welcome Home Minerva!”

President Christopher C. Dahl also spoke to the crowd. “It’s wonderful to have the goddess of wisdom back here on campus,” he said. “It’s very significant and exciting that our senior class selected, as the main beneficiary of their funds, the return of Minerva. It represents a love of wisdom among our students and our campus community. And it indicates that our students highly regard the classes of Geneseo students that went before them.

“It’s also appropriate that we have with us members of the Class of 1955, here today celebrating their 50th reunion. For it was sometime during this class’ freshman year that Minerva mysteriously disappeared. Now, I am not alleging, in the presence of our librarians and college historians, that we know what happened to Minerva. And I am not suggesting that the Class of 1955, in any way, shape, or form, is suspect in this case,” he said with a smile. “But, it IS historically appropriate that we welcome her back in the presence of this class; welcome back, Minerva, and may you guide us in our quest and love for wisdom.”

Rivenburgh closed the presentation by addressing a few personal words to Minerva. “I want you to stand majestically at the entrance of this exciting teaching and research center – and challenge our students to go far beyond the current limits of their understanding,” he said. “Encourage them to take the many risks necessary to seek knowledge and true wisdom in both their professional and personal life. I also hope that your powerful presence within this building will offer comfort, protection and courage as our students prepare for the many challenges they will face within the unknown future. Guide us to truth – and protect us during the search.”

All remarks were delivered from a podium situated aside the 8’3” tall statue.

Many alumni, who had traveled from all over the country for their reunion, crowded to the front of the foyer after the dedication to snap photos of Minerva, or have their photos taken with her.

This past winter, Milne Library officials launched a campaign to find the statue, even going as far as plastering wanted posters—some asking, “Have you seen this goddess?”—around campus and in the village in hopes that faculty and staff, nearby residents or alumni may have some clue as to where Minerva is hiding.

Rivenburgh and Liz Argentieri, special collections librarian, became the lead detectives in the case, following up on several leads that came in as a result of a publicity blitz. After reaching dead ends, Rivenburgh and Argentieri concluded that Minerva’s widely reported demise was by all accounts more than just a rumor. So, they became sleuths of another kind, this time searching the Internet to find someone who could create a replica of the goddess of wisdom and patron of warriors.

A Massachusetts gallery recast the replica that is the mirror image of the Minerva statue that stood guard over Geneseo students for decades,Milne officials sent photos of the College’s old Minerva statue to the Giust Gallery in Woburn, Mass., which specializes in making replicas of classical sculpture from major European museums. The gallery used resin, not plaster, because it is more durable for the high-traffic lobby of the library, where Minerva is now on display.

College historians say all of the state’s normal schools were given statues of Minerva, and Geneseo received its statue in 1906. The statue stood in the entrance of Old Main until 1921, but it was later moved to the ground floor of the library because of her weight.

Minerva is the Roman counterpart of the Greek goddess Athena. Minerva sprang from the head of Jupiter — her father who was king of the gods — fully grown and in full armor. She was the patron of warriors, defender of home and state, and the embodiment of wisdom, purity and reason. She also was the patron of the arts, handicrafts and trades.

The recast Minerva was delivered on May 23. She was quickly assembled and covered in preparation for the June dedication.

Chris Pruszynski introduced the student-produced film about the Geneseo-Minerva connection.

Eugene Huff ’35 and Monica Costello Huff ’37 accepted the statue on behalf of all Geneseo alumni.

From left: Amy DeVincentes ’05, Katherine Lamanna ’05, Eugene Huff ’35 and Monica Costello Huff ’37 pose together following the June 10 Minerva dedication.

A beaming Ed Rivenburgh acknowledged that “Minerva has so much to teach us.”