The Edmund A. Stephan Chicago Tribune Microfilm Library Collection was established in honor of Edmund Stephan (’33). Edmund played an integral role in Notre Dame’s history and formation as a great Catholic university. He was elected chairperson of Notre Dame’s Board of Trustees in 1967, and he served in that capacity until becoming chairperson emeritus in 1982. In 1968, he was awarded the Edward Frederick Sorin Award, and in 1983, he and his wife, Evelyn, received the Laetare Medal, the oldest and most prestigious honor given to American Catholics.

The collection in his honor provides a multidisciplinary resource for scholars in American studies, history, journalism, sports, government, economics, and business, among others. By steadily acquiring the retrospective years (1849–1920 and onward) of the Chicago Tribune, along with the indexing as it becomes available, the libraries meet researchers’ great need for printed sources of 19th-century serials and add to their collections an invaluable tool for the study of the history and culture of the entire upper Midwestern region of the United States.