The Marian B. and Jacob K. Javits Foundation has donated $1 million to establish the largest endowment for Stony Brook University (SBU) Libraries. This funding aims to preserve, promote, and make accessible the Senator Jacob K. Javits Collection at SBU, allowing the public, scholars, and elected officials to engage with the senator's legacy.
Senator Jacob Javits was influential in shaping national policies on civil rights, social justice, the arts, and environmental protection during his more than three decades as an elected official from New York. He maintained a close relationship with former Stony Brook University President John H. Marburger III and spent time at the university interacting with faculty and students while delivering lectures on campus. In 1981, he donated his papers documenting his 34 years in public office to Stony Brook. At that time, Javits expressed hope that "this collection will be a source of creativity in human and governmental endeavors."
Kristen Nyitray, director of Special Collections and University Archives at SBU Libraries, emphasized the educational value of the collection: “This collection serves as a powerful educational resource,” she said. “It is not only an archive of the past but a source for informed citizenship and critical thinking about the present and future.”
The collection includes nearly 2 million items such as speeches, bills, campaign literature, audio and film recordings, photographs, artifacts and memorabilia, cartoons, and correspondence. According to Jamie Saragossi, associate librarian and associate dean of content services at SBU Libraries, these documents provide insight into Javits' political career as well as his intellectual development and decision-making processes while highlighting his influence on American history.
Read more about this story by Christine McGrath at SB Matters.