Stony Brook University Libraries hosted the family of former United States Senator Jacob Javits for a private viewing of The Senator Jacob K. Javits Collection, which resides in the university’s Special Collections and University Archive, on September 25.
Earlier this year, The Marian B. and Jacob K. Javits Foundation presented Stony Brook Libraries $1 million to create the libraries’ largest endowment that will help preserve, promote and increase accessibility to Senator Javits’ body of work that was created throughout his career. Funding for The Senator Jacob K. Javits Collection Engagement Fund will be amplified by the New York State endowment match program and the Simons Infinity Investment Match Challenge, which will triple the impact this endowment gift will have on Stony Brook.
Joining the family were members of the Javits Foundation Board, elected officials and invited associates who attended the viewing of the collection as well as the former senator’s desk which was also gifted to the university. Guests also toured the recently renovated Javits Lecture Hall which is located on the university’s West Campus. The lecture hall features a kiosk and digital exhibition about Senator Javits with content curated from Stony Brook’s own extensive collection.
In addition, a panel discussion about the life and legacy of Senator Javits was held, featuring New York State Assemblyman Edward Ra (R-Franklin Square); Chief Strategy & Public Affairs Officer for “Future Caucus,” Reed Howard and former executive assistant to Senator Javits, Jud Sommer. Stony Brook Associate Professor Reuben Kline moderated the panel.
Senator Javits served in public office for 34 years, including in the U.S. Senate from 1957 to 1981, serving as New York Attorney General from 1955 to 1957 and was a member of the House of Representatives from 1947 to 1954. The senator had a long-standing relationship with former Stony Brook President John H. Marburger III and spent time at Stony Brook, where he met faculty, students and participated in lectures on campus.
The Senator Jacob K. Javits Collection features nearly two million items that include speeches, bills and campaign literature, audio and film recordings, photographs, artifacts and memorabilia. These objects look to document Javits’ political career and intellectual development as well as to display his influence. The senator donated these materials to Stony Brook in 1981.
“Senator Javits’ archive stands as a testament to a lifetime of public service and principled leadership,” said Kristen Nyitray, director, Special Collections & University Archives. “With the generous support of the Marian B. and Jacob K. Javits Foundation and the Javits family, Stony Brook Libraries is both preserving the Senator’s legacy and ensuring that the archive becomes even more accessible and impactful through online curricula and sponsored research.”
“Our visit to the Stony Brook campus was the capstone of several decades of partnership between the university and the Marian B. and Jacob K. Javits Foundation, which most recently made a $1 million gift to the University and was matched by the State of New York,” said Carla Javits, president of the Marian B. and Jacob K. Javits Foundation and daughter of Senator Javits.
“These funds will support and broaden access to the Javits Collection in order to inspire young people’s civic engagement and leadership. We viewed a special exhibit of inspiring photographs and documents from the collection that our father chose to donate to Stony Brook,” Carla Javits continued. “He believed that this public institution is a perfect repository and beacon for his ideas and bipartisan approach to bettering the world. We were especially moved by the interactive kiosk at the Javits Lecture Hall which includes clips of forceful speeches our father made on topics ranging from civil rights to foreign affairs, and by a special panel discussion led by Professor Kline that included New York State Assemblymember Ra, who also is co-chair of Future Caucus in New York.”
The Senator Jacob K. Javits Collection at Stony Brook can be viewed by appointment by contacting Kristen Nyitray at kristen.nyitray@stonybrook.edu.