If you love sparkling color and unusual textures that swirl as if they had been slowly stirred by an invisible hand, then you will love looking at the rock collections of Lamar Dodd and Richard Mallory. Lamar Dodd, a well known Georgia artist, used the rocks and minerals he collected as inspiration for his paintings. The exhibit on the lower level of the Suber Archives clearly demonstrates this. He loved to use other natural elements such as fossils and petrified wood for inspiration in his paintings and the items in the collection clearly reveal his discerning eye.
When Richard Mallory, a long time resident of LaGrange and prominent civic leader, donated his rock collection to LaGrange College, he intended that it be used for educational purposes, but the beauty and exuberance of color and shape cannot be discounted as an important ingredient in the overall appreciation of these rocks. One outstanding piece is the large Smoky Quartz piece with its accompanying gemstones. However, the pièces de résistance are the two immense amethyst geodes mined from Brazil. A recent library staff trip to the Tellus Mineral Museum in Cartersville, Georgia, served to confirm our conviction that the college has some irreplaceable treasures which have not been seen since the 1970’s.
These stunning geodes are now on display on the main floor of the Lewis Library and there are additional rocks and minerals outside the Suber Archives on the lower level of the library as well. Take a look to see what Nature can conjure inside what may appear to be a commonplace looking object and discover why you can’t always judge a book by its cover.
**This post authored by Pat Barrett.
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