The following is an excerpt from a story about former Wichita State University President Nathan Morrison and a bookshelf made specially for him more than 100 years ago. The story appeared in the April 14 issue of The Wichita Eagle.
Long ago, it was nicknamed the “Morrison Monster.”
It was big, bulky, weighed several hundred pounds and symbolized one of Nathan Morrison’s greatest achievements – the creation of a college library in Wichita.
After Morrison died in 1907 and his widow moved from Wichita in 1924, the bookcase traveled the nation as it was passed down from one Morrison family member to another. From Wichita to Ohio to Washington, D.C., then back to Ohio. From there on to California, New Jersey, back to California and then to New York, Omaha, Bethesda, Md., and on to Columbia, S.C.
Last year, the Morrison family decided to donate the “Morrison Monster” to the college that originated it.