RUTGERS GEOLOGY MUSEUM

**Photograph of Rutgers University’s Geology Hall** by Zeete, **CC BY-SA 4.0**, via Wikimedia Commons.

The Rutgers Geology Museum is a small museum located on the College Avenue Campus of Rutgers Univesity, in New Brunswick, New Jersey.

The museum is housed on the upper two floors of a beautiful brownstone building, known as Geology Hall.

And it is so much more than just a ‘geology museum’. To call it a ‘hidden gem’, would be an huge understatement.

I had the privilege of working at the museum from November 1994 to May 1997, while attending Rutgers as an undergraduate student. At the time, I was pursuing a Bachelor’s Degree in Geology and exploring an interest in Paleontology.

**Photograph of the Rutgers Geology Museum, Interior of the Hall** by Dmadeo, **CC BY-SA 3.0**, via Wikimedia Commons.

The museum has an open layout, containing gorgeous woodwork, an upper walkway, wrought iron railings, and a spectacular spiral staircase.

During my time there, the exhibits included rocks and minerals, native artifacts, shell collections, a mummy, a mastodon skeleton, the skull of a marine reptile, some dinosaur bones, fossilized plants, and a dinosaur trackway.

There was no central heating or cooling at the museum. Large radiators kept the museum warm in the winter and in the summer we had to crack open the museum’s two-story tall windows, from the second floor walkway, and turn on these enormous fans in order to stay cool.

**Photograph of the Rutgers Geology Museums’ Mastodon Skeleton** by Tomwsulcer, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons.

I performed a menagerie of tasks from general office work to assisting visitors with rock and mineral identifications, and giving tours to elementary age school groups.

Once a year we would host a talk by a preeminent scientist at a nearby auditorium, with drinks and nibbles at the museum afterwards.

Once a year, we’d also do a rock and mineral sale, using the surplus specimens stored in the museum’s basement.

My boss and the museum’s Curator, at the time, was Bill Selden. He was a very cheery fellow and would often break out into song. His favorite was “I Am The Very Model Of A Modern Major General” from the opera “The Pirates Of Penzance”. He also enjoyed folk dancing, and took classes. Whenever he learned a new dance, he would demonstrate it to me – very enthusiastically. Bill was a good man and a good boss. I miss him.

**Photograph of the Grease Trucks at Rutgers University** by MJKazin at English Wikipedia, **CC BY-SA 3.0**, via Wikimedia Commons.

My favorite day was Saturday. I would man the museum alone and since we rarely had visitors on Saturdays, I had the whole place to myself.

I swear, if I could have lived in that little museum I would have.

At noon, I’d lock up and head over to the Rutgers Grease Trucks for lunch. One truck made huge gyros, dressed with both tzatziki and hot sauce, that I absolutely loved. Super Yum.

I was truly blessed to have worked at the Rutgers Geology Museum. Lots of great memories.

-Jen, aka. “Power Chair Dorothy”