[PANORAMA: NMSU Alumni Magazine]
[CONTENTS]
[Home]
Home Page
President's Message
[Features]
Presidents Past & Present
Seasons of Life & Land
Sweet Success
Building Boom
Winning Ways
New Traditions Show
Aggie Pride
[Departments]
› Around Aggieland
Press Check
Aggie Sports
Giving Back
Alumni
Aggie Whirl
Aggie Pride
Share Your News
Contact Us
Back Issues


› Bond Issue Would Fund Addition and Renovation to O'Donnell Hall
› New Center Helps Commercialize Intellectual Property
› Asteroid Named for New Mexico State
› Castillo Named New Engineering Dean
› New Program Trains Students for Careers with Intelligence Agencies
› Alum Spearheads AROTC Alumni Group
› Zuhl Collection Gets a New Home

Zuhl Collection Gets a New Home By Rachel Gallagher

Joan and Herb Zuhl
You wouldn’t expect to find giant pieces of petrified wood at the place where you study for an exam, check out a book, check your e-mail or just make copies. But for NMSU students, faculty and community members who frequent the Zuhl Library, that’s been the case for the past four years. Now, library patrons and community members can enjoy even more of that collection at its new home.

Almost 1,000 more pieces of petrified wood as well as other fossils and minerals donated to NMSU by Herb and Joan Zuhl will now be housed in a new museum, The Zuhl Collection. The 1,575 square-foot museum is located in the former NMSU Police Department headquarters at 1775 College Dr., along with the new NMSU Alumni Center.

To house the collection, the building underwent a full renovation and a small wing was added. The museum also features a new courtyard where some of the pieces will be displayed.

For the Zuhls, who helped fund the renovation of both the new and old police buildings, the museum’s opening has been a long process. Groundbreaking for the new building took place two years ago. Moving the collection began in April and the larger pieces – some weighing 2,500 pounds – had to be lifted in by a crane, Mr. Zuhl says.

 “It was quite an accomplishment to get the pieces mounted and moved,” he says. “We really have the university to thank for that.”

Mr. Zuhl also thanked the collection’s curator, NMSU Professor of Geological Sciences Greg Mack, for all of his work on the project.

The Zuhls, who retired to Las Cruces from New York City, began their vast collection more than 30 years ago after a trip to Arizona, which is rich in petrified wood.

“I saw people digging things up and I thought that was very interesting so we dug up some logs,” Herb says. “We got back to New York and saw there was a lot of interest so we made a business out of it.”

Through their business, Russell-Zuhl Inc., the Zuhls sold petrified wood to collectors and museums worldwide before selling their business in the 80s. Today, the Zuhls still collect occasionally, adding to their personal collection of more than 2,000 pieces.

 Aside from the pure beauty of the petrified wood, Mr. Zuhl says there is much more to these pieces, which range from 30 million to 200 million years old. “For example, by studying the growth rings of the petrified wood, scientists can learn what growing conditions were like millions of years ago,” he says.

A formal opening for the museum is planned for Saturday, Oct. 30 during Homecoming festivities.

Alumni Director Debbie Widger believes there will be considerable interest in the museum. “The collection has some wonderful pieces – something most people have never had the opportunity to see,” Widger says.

In addition to the Zuhl’s collection, the museum will house a small number of fossils from the Department of Geological Sciences.
[Aggie Panorama]