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EVENTS & NEWS

SPRING 2012

Saturday, February 4       For the Love of Rocks & Minerals

Gillepsie Museum 10am-1pm ---

  • Tour Stetson's Earth Science Museum & join a beading workshop
  • Hand-craft natural gifts in time for Valentine's Day

 

Saturday, March 24          Save a Sandhill Ecosystem

Gillespie Museum 10am-1pm ---

Learn the importance of longleaf pines and plant wildflowers in Stetson's Teaching Landscape

 

Friday, April 27                 Arbor Day

Gillepsie Museum 3-5pm ---

Join Stetson undergrads in planting The Right Trees in the Right Place


FALL 2011

Saturday, September 24        Ross Allen and Florida Natural History:                                         Gillepsie Museum 10am-1pm ---    A Photographic Exhibition & Smithsonian Museum Day

The Gillespie Museum will celebrate Smithsonian National Museum Day with the opening of the Ross Allen Exhibition.  A Stetson alumnus, Ross Allen was one of the university’s more colorful characters. Allen established the Reptile Institute at Silver Springs in1929, initially displaying native snakes and alligators as part of his public performances.  In time, Allen’s emphasis shifted from entertainment to more serious scientific observation. He conducted some of the first studies of the American Alligator and also began milking snakes were for their venom. The venom was then sent around the world for research and the production of antivenin.

The Ross Allen Exhibition will continue at the Gillespie Museum through April 12, 2012.

Exhibit Highlights:

  • Ross Allen photos, artifacts and memorabilia from the Stetson University archives
  • Preserved specimens from the collections of Dr. Peter May & Dr. Terry Farrell, plus Carl Barden, Director of the Reptile Discovery Center, will have live specimens of indigenous Florida snakes on display during opening day. 

 

Thursday, September 29        Ross Allen and Florida Natural History                                                 Rinker Auditorium, 6:30pm ---        Lecture - Jay Mechling (Stetson '67), Professor Emeritus American Studies at   (Lynn Business Center)                  UC Davis

Gillespie Museum, 8:oopm ---         Reception following Ross Allen presentation, including sneak preview of                                                                new exhibit: Ross Allen & Florida Natural History: A Photographic Exhibition

 

Saturday, October 29               Mostly Green Halloween - Celebrate outside the candy box                Gillepsie Museum 10am-1pm ---                                                                                                                                                  /Rinker Environmental Learning Center

 

Thursday, November 3            T.B. & Nellie Gillespie and Ravine Gardens                                       Rinker Auditorium, 7pm ---                Speaker - Alfred Bea, Park Services Specialist from Ravine                                         (Lynn Business Center)                     Gardens State Park 

Stetson University Gillespie Museum lecture, “T.B. and Nellie Gillespie and Ravine Gardens,” by Alfred Bea, park services specialist at Ravine Gardens State Park, will be held at the Rinker Auditorium in the Lynn Business Center, 345 N. Woodland Blvd., DeLand. The slide presentation will explore the Gillespies’ support of the garden and its design.

T.B. and Nellie Gillespie originally donated a collection that consisted of some 25,000 specimens to Stetson University in 1958. After the original collection was donated, T.B. travelled on numerous mineral hunting expeditions with Dr. Robert S. Chauvin, executive director and former dean of the College of Arts & Sciences and professor of the department of geography/geology. The lecture will be followed by a Founders Day Celebration “The Gillespie Turns 53” at the Gillespie Museum, 234 E. Michigan Ave., DeLand.

Gillespie Museum, 8:oopm ---          Founder's Day Celebration - The Gillepsie turns 53

 

Saturday, November 19         Scout-O-Rama & Rock Hound Round-Up                          Gillepsie Museum 10am-1pm ---       Earn a badge; start a collection                                                                  /Rinker Environmental Learning Center    

Whether you’re working on an academic pin, belt loop, or merit badge or starting a new rock & mineral collection, this workshop has something to offer:

  • Tour of the Gillespie Museum: Mineral and Rock Classification
  • Mineral Identification Lab
  • Let’s Learn About Volcanoes
  • Florida Native Plant Scavenger Hunt on the Gillespie Grounds
  • Some Useful Minerals
  • Collecting Rocks & Minerals

Activities are perfect for groups (scouts, troops, small classes) as well as for individuals.  Please call the Museum at 386.822.7330 to make a reservation.  Admission is free.

 

 Thurs-Fri, December 1&2            Holiday Open House                                                                           Gillepsie Museum 10am-4pm ---                Come enjoy light refreshments and holiday shopping at the
                                                                  museum gift shop