October 6, 2005: Headlines: Figures: COS - Paraguay: Politics: City Government: Libraries: Collections: Museums: History: Pittsburgh Tribune-Review : Murphy to give papers to Heinz museum
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October 6, 2005: Headlines: Figures: COS - Paraguay: Politics: City Government: Libraries: Collections: Museums: History: Pittsburgh Tribune-Review : Murphy to give papers to Heinz museum
Murphy to give papers to Heinz museum
"As far as we know, he's the first Pittsburgh mayor to donate the records of an executive to a local repository," said David Halaas, the center's director of library and archives. "It would be a boon to scholars and people who want a better understanding of their government." Thomas Murphy, Jr., Mayor of the City of Pittsburgh, PA , served as a Peace Corps Volunteers in Paraguay in the 1970's.
Murphy to give papers to Heinz museum
Murphy to give papers to Heinz museum
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By Bill Zlatos
TRIBUNE-REVIEW
Thursday, October 6, 2005
Mayor Tom Murphy is going down in history at the Heinz Pittsburgh Regional History Center.
He has agreed to donate the papers of his administration to the Strip District museum. Although the records have not yet been officially deeded over, museum archivists began examining them Wednesday.
"As far as we know, he's the first Pittsburgh mayor to donate the records of an executive to a local repository," said David Halaas, the center's director of library and archives.
There are plenty of records in the collection. It consists of one row of 13-inch-wide boxes that would stretch 500 feet.
The papers include letters, newspaper clippings, reports and notes of town hall meetings. The earliest records date back to 1994, the first year of the Murphy administration.
The Heinz Center is a logical location for the mayor's records, said Andy Masich, center CEO. It already houses the papers of other politicians and corporations such as H.J. Heinz Co., U.S. Steel, Alcoa, Mellon Financial Corp. and Westinghouse Electric Co.
"We're the oldest library in Pittsburgh," he said. "Our archives have been around since 1879."
Museum officials called Murphy's gift a significant contribution to its archives.
"There's been lot of change during Mayor Murphy's administration," Masich said. "It's been a time of transition for Pittsburgh, and Mayor Murphy has been so involved in politics at the state level and city level that I think this will be an important collection."
Halaas said it was too early to tell whether the records cover such controversies as the city's financial crisis, Fifth-and-Forbes redevelopment and the mayor's meeting with the firefighters' union at which he is accused of trading a labor-friendly contract for votes in the 2001 Democratic primary, which he narrowly won.
It could take six months to a year for staff to assess and process the collection before it would be available to the public, he said.
The mayor's office did not respond to requests for an interview.
Halaas said he hopes future mayors will follow Murphy's lead.
"It would make sense to have them all in one place," he said of the papers. "It would be a boon to scholars and people who want a better understanding of their government."
Bill Zlatos can be reached at bzlatos@tribweb.com or (412) 320-7828.
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Story Source: Pittsburgh Tribune-Review
This story has been posted in the following forums: : Headlines; Figures; COS - Paraguay; Politics; City Government; Libraries; Collections; Museums; History
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