The Thomas Patrick Carney Collection in Chemistry was established by the University in 1986 to recognize Dr. Thomas Patrick Carney (’37) as he stepped down as chairperson of the Board of Trustees and was made a Life Trustee. Thomas also served Notre Dame as a student, alumnus, parent, benefactor, counselor, and lecturer. He was a national president of the Alumni Association and founder of the Alumni Senate. The University has bestowed numerous awards upon Thomas, including the Edward Frederick Sorin Award, centennial awards from the Colleges of Science and Engineering, an honorary doctor of laws degree, and, with his wife, Mary Elizabeth, the 1986 Laetare Medal.

Following his graduation from Notre Dame, Dr. Carney earned his Master of Science and doctoral degrees in organic chemistry from Pennsylvania State University. He then spent more than 35 years in the pharmaceutical industry’s research, development, planning, operation, and administration. The Carneys were the parents of four children, all Notre Dame graduates.

The Carney Endowment continues to grow Notre Dame’s collection in chemistry while providing scholars with access to resources that index the chemical literature, such as SciFinder and Reaxys. While the major beneficiaries of the Carney Endowment are faculty and graduate students of the Department of Chemistry, scholars in biochemistry, biology, electrical engineering, material sciences, medicine, and physics also find it indispensable to their research efforts.