April 22, 1997 Contact John R. Crosiar (541) 346-3135 NOTE TO EDITORS: Harald Günther, a member of the Austrian Consulate staff in Los Angeles, will attend Wednesday's reception for the Kramers. To arrange an interview with him earlier in the day or for other information, call Mimi Grober, UO Knight Library development officer, (541) 346-2683, or the Office of Communications, (541) 346-3134. EUGENE--The University of Oregon is now among the very best American universities to study 20th-century Austrian life, thanks to a Tigard couple's recent donation of books, letters and other items to the Knight Library. In honor of Fritz and Mary Kramers' gift of the 1,500-piece Karl and Maria Buresch collection, the Knight Library will host a free public reception for the Tigard couple from 4:30-6 p.m. on Wednesday, April 23, in the Browsing Room of the Knight Library, 1501 Kincaid St. In one stroke, the gift brings the library's Austrian holdings to more than 2,000 books, letters and other items, says Bernard McTigue, curator of the Knight Library's Special Collections. He says the collection reflects the rich cultural life of Austria before World War II. Karl Buresch taught at the prestigious Schwartzwald Schule of Vienna during the years before World War II. Eugenie Schwartzwald had founded the school at the turn of the century to prepare women for the university, and later it became coeducational. Pianist Rudolph Serkin and former Time-Life Books editor-in-chief Henry Grunwald are among the school's better-known graduates. Buresch collected works by Austrian writers about Austria, many illustrating Austrian scenery and art. The collection also includes slides, manuscripts and personal letters spanning 1918-1980. Among the letters are those Buresch wrote to his wife while fighting during both world wars, many posted from the Russian front. Historian Max Grober of the university's Robert D. Clark Honors College says the Buresch collection will serve to memorialize the cultural richness and diversity of pre-World War II Vienna. "This wonderful gift documents the extraordinary cultural ferment of the early 20th century in central Europe, the heartland of the culture of the Modern era," says Grober. "The depth, scope and diversity of this collection will serve as an inexhaustible resource for faculty and students alike as they explore one of the most creative epochs in human history." Items in the Buresch Collection, as with all UO Special Collections, are available at the Knight Library for room-use only by students, faculty and community patrons. For information about the collection, call Bernard McTigue at (541) 346-1904. -30- #P-2259/Local,Special