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During the spring semester, Stephen Micio ‘59 donated taxidermy samples to Millersville University. Students will be able to use these taxidermy samples in multiple courses, including ornithology, mammalogy and zoology.
“Stephen is an avid but selective hunter. He shoots with a bow and arrow,” said Martha MacAdam, director of development. “He does all the taxidermy work himself.”
“The taxidermy samples, especially animal mounts of species that are now rare but were plentiful at the time they were prepared, will be extremely helpful in teaching students about animals. The donation allows students to get as close as possible to the taxidermy samples for examination, sometimes being able to touch the animal and feel them,” said Dr. Aaron Haines, assistant professor of biology. “These taxidermy mounts help document the presence of particular species at a particular place and time. This allows us to examine geographic and temporal changes in animal populations, species, communities and to track those patterns in relation to natural or human-induced changes in the environment (e.g., climate change, landscape alteration, etc.).”
The donations made by Micio not only benefit the sciences but also the art department, which will use the taxidermy mounts for their courses, mainly as drawing references. The mounts are currently being added to the collection in Roddy Hall.
“Micio’s donations will be beneficial to Millersville University for years to come, and there are plans to put some of these taxidermy mounts in the halls of Roddy, so all visitors can see them on display and learn a little information on each animal,” Haines said.
