GW's Own Department of Mysteries

There is a room at GW that few people know exists. And the people that do know  don't actually know much about it. Walk through the front doors of Gelman Library, and to your left sits GW's own Department of Mysteries - the David S. Brown Memorabilia Room.

Cheesy Harry Potter reference aside, the Memorabilia Room is a hidden treasure at GW - despite the creepiness that is the George Washington Mascot head from 1980, lying prominently in the room's main display case. The Memorabilia Room was established in May 1998 by the Special Collections Department as a way to commemorate the events that have occurred and the achievements accrued by students at the University throughout its history.

Notable items include a football and cleats from 1950, when we actually had a football team, as well as an original letter from the late Kennedy famiy patriarch and Massachussetts Senator Ted Kennedy, written to express the family's appreciation for the dedication of the Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy Onassis residence hall. Jackie O transfered into GW before her junior year.

Its original title isn't well-known, but the room was renamed in 2003 for the late Business School Professor David S. Brown after a donation by his widow. His commencement robes are among the extremely miscellaneous artifacts to be found in the Memorabilia Room.

The Memorabilia Room has evidently been forgotten not only by the students who pass its clear glass walls without a glance, but also by its curators. A placard lies two shelves below its original placement, facing the back of the display case. The room is supposed to be unlocked during the library's regular Reference Desk hours, but often is not.

 If you want further motivation to visit and experience this memorial among everything that GW has to offer, the display of a tuition bill from the spring semester of 1825 totaling just $84.90 will subtly remind you that you're paying a pretty penny for the David S. Brown Memorabilia Room's existence.