by Gypsevedius Lakota

Some of you have heard about the Marion E. Wade Center, others have not. In 1965, Clyde S. Kilby founded the Wade Center. Kilby was an English professor at Wheaton College in Illinois. He had the opportunity to meet C. S. Lewis in person, and then received 15 letters from him after that. When C. S. Lewis died (1963), Kilby decided to make “The C. S. Lewis Collection”, which would later become known as the Wade Center. Not only did it include Lewis’s items, but also items and works of six other authors that influenced Lewis and his writings. This year marks the 50th anniversary since the Wade Center was founded.

The Marion E. Wade Center is a research collection and museum on the campus of Wheaton College. It holds a collection of articles, displays, and items that were owned, written, or about C. S. Lewis, and also items relating to the following six people who influenced his writing: Owen Barfield, G.K. Chesterton, George MacDonald, Dorothy L. Sayers, J.R.R. Tolkien, and Charles Williams. In the Wade Center, there is a  reading room (with comfortable chairs and tables to spread out documents for more detailed research). Sometimes, you can attend lectures in the center which take place from time to time in the reading room. In one room at the Wade Center, there is the actual desk and the actual wardrobe that belonged to C. S. Lewis! Near the exhibit room, there is a small area containing assorted souvenirs that you may buy.

The Wade Center is open Monday through Friday, 9 A.M. to 4 P.M., and during the academic year is open Saturdays from 9 A. M. to 12 P. M.

For more information on the Wade Center and what you can find there, follow this link: http://www.wheaton.edu/wadecenter