The Christopher J. and Susan M. Kearney Endowment for the Study of American History in Memory of Christopher J. Kearney Jr. and Philip J. Foley was established in 2002 by Chris (’77) and Susan (’78) Kearney to honor their fathers. Both men were sole proprietors of family businesses in small Pennsylvania towns. They were of Irish Catholic descent with a strong devotion to their families, faith, and the University’s traditions. Both were avid readers of books on American history. Chris, a member of the Hesburgh Libraries Advisory Council, is chair, president, and chief executive officer of SPX Corporation, which specializes in technical and industrial products and services. He and Susan have three sons: C.J., Kevin (’05), and Ryan.

This endowment has supported the areas of pre-colonial American history through recent time (1920-present); American church history; intellectual and diplomatic history; immigration history; and African-American history. Historical research has been greatly enhanced by the growing availability of digitized primary sources. The Libraries have been able to provide the Notre Dame community with access to electronic resources including historical documents, newspapers, letters, diaries, and travel accounts, as well as a growing collection of monographs and journals in print and electronic formats.