FARMINGTON – Imagine holding a copy of the Magna Carta in your bare hands.
That opportunity is exactly what a new exhibit at the University of Maine at Farmington promises, along with the chance to see and touch more than 40 other historic documents.
The exhibit is part of a traveling collection courtesy of the Remnant Trust and its founder, Brian Bex, who is bringing the collection to UMF, its first stop in New England.
“Right now I think I’m a little delirious,” said UMF President Theodora Kalikow. “I haven’t seen this many wonderful and exciting books and documents in one place in my entire life.”
Indeed, the collection features numerous books and texts from some of the world’s most famous authors, including works by Aristotle, Plato, Hobbes, Rousseau, Newton and Locke.
A luncheon was held at UMF on Monday to unveil the collection, which will be displayed as part of “Reading Revolutions: Great Minds, Great Thoughts,” a program that will feature the exhibit as well as a series of lectures in connection with the various texts. Most of the lectures will come from UMF faculty, but on Sept. 25 the university will welcome Gordon S. Wood, a Pulitzer Prize-winning historian, whose topic will be “American Enlightenment.” The collection will stay on display until Dec. 9.
One of the guests at the luncheon was Maine’s first lady, Karen Baldacci, who stressed the importance of the exhibit for Maine students.
“For students this provides a rare access to documents that they might not otherwise have heard of,” said Baldacci. “It lets them read, touch, and explore firsthand.”
Allen Berger, UMF’s vice president for academic affairs and provost, has known Bex for eight years, a relationship that began when Berger’s previous institution, Franklin College in Indiana, became one of the first places to host the Remnant Trust collection. When Berger was given the opportunity to bring the collection to UMF, he wasted no time.
“When Brian offered, it took me less than 10 seconds to say yes,'” said Berger.
Still, when addressing the luncheon on Monday, it took him no time to tell guests just how he would describe Bex. “He’s a nut,” said Berger, who assured everyone he was using the word as a term of affection.
“After all, who but a nut would take valuable editions of important historical texts, and insist that student, faculty and community members handle them and peruse them?”
Still, he helped to emphasize one of the key aspects of the Remnant Trust, and of Bex’s philosophy on the documents: They are not to be viewed behind a Plexiglas case, but rather they are to be held, touched and felt for free by any person who chooses to.
“We’ve put literally tens of millions of dollars of capital investment at risk to say, share it,'” said Bex. “The only membership dues you’ve got to pay is that you’re interested.”
“It’s counter-thinking,” said Baldacci of the freedom to touch and feel the documents. “We actually get to touch and feel these fabulous documents of our history.”
Frank Roberts, the director of the Mantor Library, discussed some of the specifics of the program, and provided a comedic moment.
Roberts began his speech by grabbing the collection’s copy of the Magna Carta, telling guests, “This is amazing. I’ve never held anything like this in my hand before.”
After he finished speaking, Roberts went back to his seat, followed at the podium by Kalikow, who looked back at Roberts and told him he had forgotten something up at the podium.
It was the Magna Carta.
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