The Twist Family Endowment for American Studies was established by James Twist in honor of his parents and siblings. All three children of Frank J. and Rose Marie Twist are graduates of Notre Dame: Clare J. Twist, M.D. (’82), Christine Twist Burke (’79), and James F. Twist, M.D. (’76).

James, an ophthalmologist in Buffalo, New York, served on the Notre Dame Alumni Association Board of Directors and is a past president of the Notre Dame Club of Buffalo and Western New York. He received his M.D. from SUNY-Buffalo School of Medicine in 1980. He and his wife, Maureen, have a son, James F. Twist, Jr.

Focusing on the American presidency within the context of American studies, the Twist Endowment allows the Hesburgh Libraries to acquire resources of significance to American studies and culture from a broad range of perspectives, including those of history, political science, social science, literary and art criticism, culture, and communications theory.

As the scholarship on the American presidency grows, the Twist Endowment allows the Libraries to keep up with new historical research in all formats and to acquire digital collections, such as The Presidential Papers, published through the University of Virginia Press. These digital collections complement the printed volumes that the Libraries also have acquired, making presidential research more accessible at all levels.