Ludwig Lauerhass Jr. Endowed Collection in Brazilian Studies

If the definition of a good life is getting paid for doing what you love, then Larry Lauerhass had a wonderful life. Dr. Lauerhass, a three-time UCLA alumnus, made a career out of collecting, teaching and traveling, and most of it has been spent serving the campus in a variety of positions. He also made UCLA the recipient of most of his philanthropy. Dr. Lauerhass established two endowments at the university, one for the UCLA Library and one in the Department of History. He created the Ludwig Lauerhass Jr. Endowed Collection in Brazilian Studies to support the purchase of rare materials on Brazil for UCLA Library Special Collections. Such acquisitions include rare books, photographs, manuscripts and ephemera to support academic programs in the humanities, social sciences and fine arts. UCLA’s Brazilian studies collections are considered among the top five of those held by academic libraries in the U.S. A published author and librarian emeritus in the history department, Dr. Lauerhass continued to travel and expand his Braziliana collection throughout his life. His broad area of interest was national identity and the role monuments play in it; he regularly taught a seminar on this topic at the UCLA-D.C. Center for American Politics and Public Policy in Washington, D.C.