Gumberg Library Celebrates Labriola Memorial Fund Endowment

Gumberg Library celebrated the endowment of the Dr. Albert C. Labriola Memorial Fund with a special reception on Oct. 31. The endowment, with principal funding surpassing $100,000, was established in memory of Labriola, who served as a Distinguished University Professor and professor of English at Duquesne from 1970 through 2009.

According to University Librarian Dr. Laverna Saunders, many of the titles that currently grace the shelves of Gumberg Library were selected personally by Labriola, whose passion for books and scholarship was a driving force behind the endowment’s creation.

“Recognizing his achievements and global reputation as a Milton scholar, we designed a fund that will help to enlarge the library’s literature collections. The initial goal for the fund was set at $25,000, but we have far exceeded our early expectations,” Saunders said. “We are deeply grateful to the members of the Labriola family, his colleagues, students and friends, and especially the Nimick Forbesway Foundation whose donations made the establishment of the memorial fund possible.”

The reception included tributes from alumni, faculty and friends. New titles purchased through the fund as well as selected scholarly works by Labriola were on display at the event. In addition, the Duquesne University Press exhibited copies of Labriola’s The Bible of the Poor and The Mirror of Salvation; his edited volume, Milton in the Age of Fish; and his last volume of Milton Studies.

“It is very meaningful that we can continue to support Labriola’s cause of building the literature collection at Gumberg Library,” Saunders explained. “His wish to have donations made in his memory to benefit the library has come true in a fundamental, lasting way.”

Labriola was serving as acting dean of the McAnulty College and Graduate School of Liberal Arts when he passed away in 2009.

To donate to the Dr. Albert C. Labriola Memorial Fund, visit www.duq.edu/labriolafund. For more information, contact Saunders at lsaunders@duq.edu.