Mr. and Mrs. Lee Ellerbrock, encouraged by Mrs. John Scudder, presented the Albert Schweitzer Collection to the University in 1978. It is an extensive collection of letters, books, pamphlets, manuscripts, articles, newspaper clippings, photographs, slides and African artifacts, collected by Lee and Dorothy Ellerbrock over some 30 years beginning in 1949.
Lee Ellerbrock assisted Albert Schweitzer with his correspondence beginning in 1953 until Schweitzer's death in 1965. Upon his retirement the following year, Ellerbrock fulfilled a promise made to Schweitzer before his death. Ellerbrock sold his possessions in order to move with his wife Dorothy to Lambarene to help Schweitzer's daughter, Rhena Schweitzer Miller, with the hospital. The Ellerbrocks spent ten years in Lambarene in the service of Schweitzer's work before returning permanently to the United States in 1976.
The public exhibit on the second floor of Argyros Forum is open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday-Friday. The exhibit showcases a portion of the extensive collection of Schweitzer memorabilia held by Chapman University.
