ORANGE : Chapman Unveils Bust of Schweitzer

Albert Schweitzer took up residence in Orange County on Thursday when a bust of the famed humanitarian was unveiled in a formal ceremony at Chapman University.

The three-foot-high bronze bust was created by Swiss artist Sandro da Vercio for a 1990 United Nations peace colloquium that paid homage to Schweitzer on the 25th anniversary of his 1965 death. It was then purchased for the university by the family of the late Valerie Scudder, a former Chapman trustee with an interest in the work of Schweitzer, to adorn the front of a new campus building.

Chapman is the home of the 6-year-old Schweitzer Institute and houses the third-largest collection of Schweitzer memorabilia in the United States.

“Schweitzer is sort of a patron saint of the university,” said Kurt Bergel, a professor emeritus of history at Chapman and co-director of the Schweitzer Institute. “More and more, Schweitzer is seen as a role model for the students.”

The humanitarian and medical missionary was born in Germany in 1875. In 1913, Schweitzer established a hospital at Lambarene in French Equatorial Africa, now the country of Gabon, which still exists. For his work, Schweitzer was awarded the Nobel Prize for Peace in 1952.

The Chapman collection is displayed in the campus library and tells the story of Schweitzer’s life.

Books written by Schweitzer are highlighted, as are recordings of his organ music. Copies of his voluminous correspondence are showcased, including a series of letters between the famed humanitarian and such world leaders as President John F. Kennedy on the subject of nuclear weapons.

There are many photographs of Schweitzer and the hospital in Lambarene and many examples of the native art of the tribes of Gabon, including fabric, decorative and ritual masks, stone and ivory sculptures and native harps.

But the collection’s highlight is not available for public viewing, Bergel said. It is the 35-year correspondence between the humanitarian and musician Alice Ehlers, which was published last year in book form.

For further information about viewing the collection, call (714) 997-6806.