A walk through the Greenville, Del., home of Dr. Sarah Jastak-Burgess '54M, '63PhD and Leslie M. Burgess is like strolling through a multisensory museum.

Sound resonates from an 11-foot beryllium copper tonal sculpture by Harry Bertoia. The surface of a glazed stoneware sculpture feels remarkably smooth. Light shines off the intricately carved surfaces of a miniature Pieta carved from a rare fist-sized chunk of amber.

"I don't go to other museums,'' Jastak-Burgess says. "I like this one.''

Preserving beautiful things has been part of their lives for a half-century.

Burgess, who worked in Africa establishing a school of business administration on the style of Harvard Business School, and Jastak-Burgess, who practiced psychology in Wilmington, met on a corporate board after both their spouses died. Their art is an eclectic mix that shows his interest in African and Asian cultures, her late husband's Polish heritage, her interest in amber carvings and the art they discovered together since their 1981 marriage.

Many pieces of the couple's extensive collection carry small numbers in unobtrusive places that indicate they are earmarked for the University--among them a silver-and-gold sculpture titled Romeo-and-Juliet, a large bronze goat cast in England, third-century Ghandharan statuary from present-day Pakistan, and an almost life-sized sculpture of blues guitarist Muddy Waters from Ray and Mary Daud's Newport studio.

It is art bought because they appreciated it, not art bought to appreciate in value, although it has.

The couple, philanthropists long active in the arts, have made three major donations to the University since 1993, when they donated what is believed to be the largest privately held collection of carved amber in the world. Part of that 116-piece collection is currently on display in Trabant University Center.

Many of the items included in the donation were commissioned by the Burgesses. Leda and the Swan, a mahogany carving by Wilmington sculptor Charles Parks, hangs in their dining room, inches from an amber carving based on the same Greek legend. Bright glazed stoneware sculptures by New Hampshire ceramicist Eric O' Leary dot the perfectly landscaped grounds.

The Burgesses' goal is to transplant art they've been collecting most of their lives to a place where students can learn from it and all can enjoy it.

"Beautiful things should be preserved and appreciated," Jastak-Burgess says, adding that she expects the University will de-acquisition some pieces and display others. We hope these things of beauty will be preserved since we're not immortal."

"The philosophy behind this is: Number one, you don't really own anything. You have temporary custody of stuff and, if you think it's beautiful, and we do, it is your obligation to maximize the ability of people to enjoy it." Burgess says. "We aren't going to continue on forever and we have found in UD an appropriate resting
place for this collection."