From left, Michael Larkin; A.J. Larkin; Jonathon Larkin; FAU benefactor Charna Larkin; FAU President Adam Hasner, Linda Golian-Lui, Ed.D., dean of FAU’s University Libraries; and Michael Horswell, Ph.D., dean of the Dorothy F. Schmidt College of Arts and Letters cut the ribbon to open the Alan B. and Charna Larkin American Presidential Study.
Florida Atlantic University’s Department of History in the Dorothy F. Schmidt College of Arts and Letters and the S.E. Wimberly Library recently celebrated the opening of the Alan B. and Charna Larkin American Presidential Study. The 1,500-square-foot space in the library at FAU’s Boca Raton campus displays personally signed letters from every U.S. president dating back to George Washington. The collection, along with funding to design, develop and maintain the space, was donated by Charna Larkin.
The study will also serve as a historical archive of the Alan B. and Charna Larkin Symposium on the American Presidency, which Charna Larkin established in 2003 in memory of her husband, Alan. An endowment to support the symposium was made possible through the generosity of Charna Larkin and members of the Larkin family.
“Alan loved history, and he had compiled an amazing collection of signed presidential letters,” said Charna Larkin. “He would love to have known that all these letters were on display at Florida Atlantic as a way to encourage students to learn more about the presidency.”
The study will be open to the public during designated hours, serve as a site for special receptions and lectures, and be equipped for classroom and student study. There are also plans to include a digital component that can provide links to all presidential libraries and homesteads.
“We are so thankful to Charna Larkin and her family,” said Michael Horswell, Ph.D., dean of the Dorothy F. Schmidt College of Arts and Letters. “Her dedication to fostering intellectual growth and nurturing of our faculty and staff initiatives across the University has resulted in impactful outcomes for hundreds of staff, faculty and students, as well as thousands of community patrons.”
For more information, visit library.fau.edu/special-collections/alan-b-and-charna-larkin-american-presidential-study.
-FAU-
Latest News Desk
- BEPI Poll: Half of Floridians Consider Leaving Over Cost of LivingThe majority of Floridians are hanging on to the "American Dream," but rising housing costs and everyday expenses make it difficult to achieve, according to a new poll from Florida Atlantic University's BEPI.
- 'Frazzled' Fruit Flies Help Unravel How Neural Circuits Stay WiredFAU scientists have discovered that the protein Frazzled (DCC in humans) fine-tunes neuron connections, keeping signals fast and precise - key to a fruit fly's rapid escape reflex and healthy nervous system.
- FAU Innovation Pilot Awards Drive Faculty Research from Lab to MarketThe FAU pilot program offers $500 to $15,000 in seed funding to help researchers turn early discoveries into market-ready technologies, fostering prototypes, industry partnerships and real-world impact.
- Nearly 70 FAU Faculty Named Among World's Top 2% of ScientistsNearly 70 FAU faculty are ranked among the world's top 2% of scientists by Stanford-Elsevier, recognizing their global research impact across 22 fields and 174 subfields from engineering to humanities.
- FAU to Celebrate 'Homecoming: Paradise Island'Florida Atlantic University will celebrate "Homecoming: Paradise Island" beginning Thursday, Oct. 30 through Saturday, Nov. 8.
- FAU Researchers Make Great 'Strides' in Gait Analysis TechnologyA first-of-its-kind study explored whether more accessible technologies such as a 3D depth camera could accurately measure how people walk, offering a practical alternative to traditional gait analysis tools.