The Fredericks Mineral Gallery at the Ruth Patrick Science Education Center was established in 2015 by Dr. Carol M. Jantzen in honor of her parents, Theodore ‘Ted’ and Clara Fredericks. Rock collecting was a hobby of Ted’s that grew to a business that provided rock and mineral kits used in middle and high school classrooms across the USA. Through the years, Ted and Carol collect many museum-quality rock and mineral specimens. Carol’s goal was to pass her love for science and nature to the children of the Central Savannah River Area through the Fredericks Mineral Gallery.
The main features of the Fredericks Mineral Gallery include:
- 250-lb Feldspar crystal from New Hampshire, one of the largest in the world
- Fossilized raptor egg from Mongolia, one of only 6 in the U.S.A
- Dinosaur leg bone from Dinosaur, Colorado
- Magnetite crystal from Canada, the largest in the world
- Meteorite from Campo del Cielo (Field of Heaven or Field of the Sky) from Argentina
- Themed Display cases presenting various rocks and minerals
