This endowment was established to support and enhance the Kenneth Patchen Archive, one of the most actively used collections in University Library Special Collections. Kenneth Patchen is one of America's most significant twentieth-century poets, producing more than thirty volumes of literature, including the unique Painted Poems.
Since its acquisition from Miriam Patchen in the 1970s, the archive has been used in the outstanding Sierra Club book, What Shall We Do Without Us?, featured in a film by San Francisco public television station KQED, and is constantly sought after for inclusion in national and international exhibitions.
This endowment was established in loving memory of David and Ida Berner by their daughters Merryl Cicourel and Rita Bottoms, long-time Head of Special Collections. The Berners were lovers of music and the arts. Their home was brimming with books. They loved and were inspired by the poetry and art of Kenneth Patchen which they enjoyed on the walls of this library's Special Collections.
Santa Cruz, CA
