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.

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