Matthew Shepard Personal Collection Donated To Smithsonian
A collection of Matthew Shepard's papers and personal objects will be donated to the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History. According to a release from the Smithsonian, the museum will accept the donation representing Matthew's life from his parents, Judy and Dennis Shepard, during an event in Washington on October 25th.
21-year-old Matthew Shepard, a Casper native, died from severe injuries he sustained during a vicious anti-gay attack in October 1998 in Laramie, Wyoming. His murder, 20 years ago this month, sparked national outrage and turned his death into a symbol of violence against gay people. Matthew's ashes are to be interred at the Washington National Cathedral.
The Shepard family is donating personal papers highlighting Matthew’s school life from elementary school through college as well as theater scripts, photographs, correspondence and notebooks. There are also a number of objects including a child-sized Superman cape, sandals, a wedding ring and purple ribbon award.
As part of the presentation, students from George Mason University’s School of Theater will perform excerpts from "The Laramie Project" by Moisés Kaufman and the Tectonic Theater Project, followed by a brief panel discussion.