Presentation Box
- Description
- Five-sided commemorative presentation box containing a vial of soil from the Pentagon crash site, presented to victims' families. The box is hand carved with a hinged lid and a laser-etched graphic of the Pentagon and "September 11, 2001" on the top of the box. Inside the box is a small glass vial containing fine gray soil. The vial is sealed with a sticker with an image of a bald eagle, a flag, the Pentagon, and text: "United in Memory | September 11, 2001." This particular box was given to the family of Michael L. Selves.
- Historical Notes
- Hillsboro, Oregon, native Michael Selves lived in Fairfax, Virginia, with his wife, Gayle. Both golf lovers, they planned to move to South Carolina in 2002 and play Hilton Head Island’s courses. Retired as a lieutenant colonel after 20 years in the U.S. Army, Michael served as director of its Information Management Support Center at the Pentagon. On September 11, he was at work. Michael was 53 years old.
Curator's Comment
Grieving relatives of Pentagon and American Airlines Flight 77 victims expressed a wish for a physical memento of the site where their loved ones had perished. On their behalf, Xerox Corporation commissioned Mike Mikutowski, a Michigan woodcarver, to craft hundreds of five-sided boxes echoing the shape of the Pentagon. The top of each box features a laser-etched graphic of the Pentagon and the date of the 2001 attacks. Each contains a vial of soil collected from the Pentagon crash site.
- Accession Number: C.2010.339.3
- Dimensions: 2.25 in X 2.125 in X 2.62 in
- Dimensions (Metric): 5.715 cm X 5.3975 cm X 6.6548 cm
- Source: Virginia Gayle Selves
- Credit Line: Gift of Virginia Gayle Selves in memory of Michael Selves
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