Alumni volunteers work with specimen in the relocated Stanley Museum.
It was a true scientific community effort, including students, faculty, and alumni volunteers, in reopening the Willard F. Stanley Museum.
Since the closing of Jewett Hall for renovation into the new Student Success Center, and the relocation of the sciences departments to the Science Center, the community has been working hard to bring the museum back to life in its new home in Houghton Hall.
The grand re-opening of the museum, celebrating the hard work of the volunteers and contemplating what the future holds for the museum, will be held on Saturday, Oct. 17 at 5 p.m.
The relocated museum is on the second floor of Houghton Hall. The event is free and the public is invited to attend.
Among the alumni volunteers were Don Zelazny, Jim Walsh, Renée Bush and Gary Keoppel, all undergraduate Biology majors of the Class of 1974, and 1974 master’s degree in Biology graduate Joe Falcone, now a member of the Fredonia College Foundation Board of Directors. A story about their efforts was published in 2025 in the Statement, the Fredonia alumni magazine.
Many of the specimens in the museum were collected by Dr. Stanley himself. He joined the SUNY Fredonia Department of Biology faculty in 1935, served as chair, and retired in 1971. Stanley was recognized as an authority on fauna and flora of the Niagara Frontier. He was internationally known for his work in bio-philately, as portrayed upon postage stamps around the world. Upon his retirement, Stanley became curator of the museum named in his honor.
Dr. Thomas Hegna, who is chair of the departments of Physics and Geology and Environmental Sciences, and SUNY Distinguished Teaching Professor William Brown, who is chair of the departments of Biology and Chemistry and Biochemistry, led the effort in relocating the museum.
