Aug. 30, 2010

Tucked away on the third floor of the Tanimura and Antle Family Memorial Library is the special collection archive room. Here, a recent donation to the university is safely stored: the personal papers of local poet Ric Masten. "When the opportunity arose to acquire the papers of Mr. Masten, the CSUMB library didn't hesitate," said Eddy Hogan, coordinator of collection development. Masten, a prolific, colorful, and outspoken poet, folk musician and Unitarian Universalist minister, passed away in 2008 after a long battle with cancer. The university acknowledged his achievements in poetry, literature and music by granting him an honorary Doctor of Letters in 2007, the same year he delivered the keynote address at commencement. This summer, Masten's daughter, April Masten, a history professor at State University of New York, Stony Brook, traveled from New York to donate items that make up the collection – poetry books, vinyl and CD albums of his folk music, artwork, personal letters, posters for his readings and concerts, photographs, newspaper clippings and his honorary degree. Access to the CSUMB special collections archive is currently limited. When staffing permits and the collections are cataloged, the public will be able to use these resources by appointment. For more information on the Ric Masten collection, contact Eddy Hogan at ehogan@csumb.edu.

Photo by Don PorterA photograph in the collection shows Mr. Masten performing