Thornburgh collection donated to Grove City College Library
GROVE CITY – Grove City College will soon be the repository of the personal library of Dick Thornburgh, a former Pennsylvania governor and former U.S. attorney general.
The gift comes through the generosity of his wife, Ginny Thornburgh, and her sons, who have agreed to donate to the college more than 2,000 volumes amassed over Thornburgh’s lifetime of public service.
“Dick was an avid reader and collector of books,” she said. “This collection represents his many interests and the many influential and inspiring people he was blessed to work with over his decades of service.”
Thornburgh, a Pittsburgh native and Republican, was a well-regarded and respected state and national leader from the 1970s until his death in 2020 at the age of 88.
“Dick Thornburgh was a great Pennsylvanian, a great lawyer and a great leader who I had the privilege of working for at the U.S. Department of Justice,” Grove City College President Paul J. McNulty said. “Grove City College is so grateful for the gift of this wonderful collection. Students will benefit from the breadth and depth of these volumes for generations to come.”
During his time as governor, Thornburgh rose to national prominence with handling of the state’s response to the 1979 Three Mile Island nuclear disaster, the worst in U.S. history. The Thornburgh collection includes many volumes and original memoranda and writings related to the crisis.
As head of the Justice Department under Presidents Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush, Thornburgh battled white-collar crime, drug trafficking and oversaw the prosecution resulting from the 1989 Exxon Valdez oil spill in Alaska. He played a key role on the national stage during a pivotal moment in the nation’s history — the enactment of the Americans with Disabilities Act in 1990.
Thornburgh also served as Undersecretary General of the United Nations from 1992 to 1993.
“The collection’s depth is impressive and reveals a real thirst for knowledge,” Director of College Archives and Galleries Hilary Walczak said. “Thornburgh had a habit of marking up books and many in the collection include his handwritten annotations, including the Three Mile Island material. They show his thought process and observations about what was a major historical event,” she said.
Walczak said, “We have a collection of nonfiction and fiction books from his residences in Oakmont and Ligonier. Some of the fiction is from his childhood like vintage Hardy Boys.
“He collected things from people he came across, like the autobiography of Rep. John Lewis. He would read and write notes and give his opinions on it,” Walczak said.
That material and an autobiography that includes copious notes for his editors have historical and archival significance, Walczak said.
“This is good regional history and a good thing for Grove City students to have access to it,” she said of the collection.
Grove City College Trustee William J. Mehaffey, a longtime friend and Thornburgh adviser, helped secure the former governor’s library for the college. Currently housed at the Thornburgh residences, the books will ultimately become part of the Grove City College Henry Buhl Library collection.
“We expect to have it at Grove City College when the family determines it is time,” said Walczak.
