A live auction to benefit the Harmony Institute at Marshall University will take place at 7 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 17 in the Alumni Lounge on the second floor of the Memorial Student Center on MU’s Huntington campus.

The event, now labeled the Marshall University Harmony Institute Holiday Auction, was rescheduled from Friday, Sept. 7 because of a conflict with activities involving the Marshall-West Virginia University football game.

The silent portion of the auction was conducted in September, but at least 95 percent of the original items remain to be auctioned, according to Maurice Cooley, director of Marshall’s Center for African American Students’ Programs and interim vice president of Multicultural Affairs at MU.

“This is a do-not-miss event,” Cooley said. “Some wonderful, wonderful items will be auctioned. We have sports items signed by Randy Moss of the New England Patriots. We have a range of collectibles, including gorgeous art pieces, antiques and glass pieces of high value. The auction will be the perfect opportunity to shop for the holidays and buy gifts you might normally not be able to get. There are a lot of unique things you cannot buy in a store.”

The purpose of the Harmony Institute Auction is to raise funds to sustain the Institute’s mission, goals and initiatives. A similar auction in 1998 raised $25,000, and the goal for this year’s event is to raise $50,000. State Treasurer John D. Perdue will be the auctioneer.

The Harmony Institute has worked for years to promote respect for, and an appreciation of, human and civil rights, social justice and racial harmony across Marshall University and the tri-state region. Proceeds from the auction will be used for that purpose.

The Institute, which was established in 1997, has sponsored many special events and exhibits throughout its first decade, such as theatre and music performances, lectures, conferences and symposiums.

Among the many other items to be auctioned are sports memorabilia, such as a basketball signed by former University of Kentucky coach Tubby Smith; basketballs signed by members of Huntington High School’s 2007 championship basketball team; HHS jerseys signed by former players Patrick Patterson and O.J. Mayo; autographed NFL jerseys from former Marshall greats Chad Pennington and Byron Leftwich; a football signed by former Marshall football coaches Jim Donnan and Red Dawson, and a football signed by Indianapolis Colts Coach Tony Dungy.

Some of the items are WVU-related, since the auction originally was scheduled during the week of the Marshall-WVU game. Those items include an autographed basketball by Jerry West, a Jerry West bobblehead, a West Virginia University Blenko Glass vase, a football signed by Mountaineers Coach Rich Rodriguez and a basketball signed by WVU Coach Bob Huggins.

Auction brochure

Admission to the auction is free. However, food and drinks will be provided for a $25 donation.

For more information, contact Feon Smith with Marshall University Multicultural Affairs at (304) 696-4637.