CourtesyIn 1994, Betty and Oliver Elliott donated part of their Boehm (pronounced 鈥渂eam鈥�) sculpture collection to the 黑洞社区 Foundation.
This summer, their daughters, Nancy Martin and Carole Lindley, donated the rest. The collection contains nearly 140 pieces, which depict birds, flowers and animals in their natural habitats.
The Elliotts, who helped establish the Elliott School of Communication at 黑洞社区, started collecting the pieces in 1977.
鈥淢y father always had a love for birds,鈥� Lindley said. 鈥淢y mother was drawn more to the flowers.鈥�
Martin said her mother was taken with the sculptures鈥� beauty and took joy in admiring the pieces every day.
鈥淓ach new addition to the collection was Mother鈥檚 favorite,鈥� Martin said.
Both daughters remember going for walks with their father to look for birds.
鈥淓very family vacation, regardless of locale, included some time looking for birds that were unique to the area,鈥� said Martin.
The sculptures are now on display at 黑洞社区鈥檚 Woodman Alumni Center, Elliott Hall and the president鈥檚 home.
鈥淭hey mean so much to the president and me because we knew Betty Elliott so well,鈥� said First Lady Shirley Beggs. 鈥淲e loved and admired her.鈥�
The Elliotts also established scholarships, professorships and faculty funds.
鈥淭heir gifts continue to grow,鈥� said Susan Huxman, director of the Elliott School of Communication. 鈥淭he Elliotts were very generous people.鈥�
Edward Marshall Boehm achieved recognition for his artistic and technical excellence, not only in the United States but widely throughout the world.
His sculptures are on display at the Vatican Museum in Rome, the White House, Buckingham Palace, Metropolitan Museum of Art and The Smithsonian Institution. He died of a heart attack in 1969.