John “Jack” Seaman, grandson of the namesake of the A. E. Seaman Mineral Museum at Michigan Tech, and his wife, Phyllis, have given a gift to support the museum’s endowment to further the work of Jack’s grandfather and enhance the museum experience for visitors long into the future. In recognition of their generosity, the Phyllis and John Seaman Garden will be dedicated this Thursday, Sept. 11, at 1 p.m. at the Mineral Museum on Sharon Ave.
The dedication ceremony is open to the campus and local communities.
Seaman calls it “Phyllis’s Garden” because his wife is an avid gardener. He will attend the celebration.
The Seamans are underwriting the museum’s endowment in memory of Jack’s grandfather, A. E. Seaman, and his father, Wyllys Seaman. Both A. E. and Wyllys Seaman served on the Michigan Tech faculty.
“The Mineral Museum is a jewel of Michigan Tech,” said Seaman. “We are lucky to have it on the campus.”
Jack Seaman grew up in Houghton, where his father, Wyllys, taught geology and minerology at Michigan Tech and was curator of the Mineral Museum until he retired in 1948. His grandfather, A. E. Seaman, chaired the Department of Geology and Minerology and founded the Mineral Museum named after him in 1902. Seamanite — a transparent yellowish-pink mineral that appears as needle-shaped crystals — was named in his honor.