A visit to Dr. Crum's office

Roger Crum, an art history professor at UD, jokingly referred to his office as the National Museum of Discarded Student Art, adding that he rarely walks past a trash can without looking into it, and when you work in an art department, you can usually find some treasures. He hangs up the artwork he finds, alongside a variety of other works: art purchased from thrift stores, including one with a price tag still on it because it intrigued him; a shovel that he once entered into the faculty art show; and a sheet sign from the student neighborhood. He even pinned up a piece of a car muffler because it reminds him of Jesus Christ's torso as he was being crucified.

His desks and shelves are home for a variety of trinkets, many of them with significant sentimental value. On his desk lays the baseball glove his father purchased for him in second grade, which he says still smells the exact same way it did the day they bought it. 

Another gift from his father is the Sony Radio that sits on one of his shelves. Crum no longer uses it, but it's sat in his office for years. One day after years of not touching it, he randomly decided to turn it on as he walked into his office. That morning was Sept. 11, 2001. He said that it was a strange coincidence that he would turn on his childhood radio one day to find out about one of the biggest moments in history.

On the side of his shelf is a collection of sticky notes, each with a hand-drawn portrait of Crum These are gifts from Melvin Andrews, the UD maintenance technician who works in Fitz Hall and is a good friend of Crum. Each time Andrews stops by, he brings in a new drawing.

One of the most eye-catching pieces of Dr. Crum's office is his collection of paintings and sculptures of "The Last Supper," which is one of the most famous paintings at the time of the Italian Renaissance — Crum's core field of specialization. It began with a few paintings, including a velvet one from his dad that Crum mentioned can be vacuumed, and the collection grew as people began to notice it and bring him new items to add.

These are only a few of the many treasures Crum has on display on his office, each one with a specific meaning and a story to go with it.