BLOOMFIELD HILLS \u2013 If you\u2019ve ever paid a visit to Oakland Community College\u2019s Highland Lakes campus, you\u2019ve likely crossed paths with the school\u2019s Groleau-White Lake Mastodon, lovingly nicknamed \u201cElmer.\u201d<\/p>\n
Beginning next week, Elmer the mastodon will migrate from the upper floors of Levinson Hall to the Cranbrook Institute of Science in Bloomfield Hills under a long-term loan agreement with OCC.<\/p>\n
\u201cOCC has been proud to care for Elmer for nearly 50 years, and more people in our community, beyond our campus, should have the chance to experience him up close,\u201d said Oakland Community College Chancellor Peter Provenzano, Jr. in a news release on Tuesday. \u201cCranbrook partnered with OCC in the early 1980s when Elmer was reconstructed, so it\u2019s especially fitting that we share a vision for his future.\u201d<\/p>\n
After Elmer is carefully disassembled and transported to Cranbrook, crews from the institute will reconstruct and prepare the mastodon for public display as a centerpiece of future exhibition expected to open in summer 2027.<\/p>\n
\u201cMoving Elmer will be a very delicate undertaking,\u201d said Cameron Wood, Cranbrook Institute of Science Curator of Collections. \u201cHis unique suspended mount will require the Institute\u2019s team to proceed with great caution after reverse engineering how it was installed.\u201d<\/p>\n