American Business History Center subscribers,
On Monday, October 3rd, 2022, the home and library of our Founder and Executive Director, Gary Hoover, burned to the ground. Thankfully, he made it out alive and is now surrounded by good friends and neighbors who have stepped up to help.
Speaking for the American Business History Center, this is a loss on many levels. Along with losing all his personal possessions, Gary lost what was one of the largest personal libraries in America. He spent decades and his life fortune building the library. Unfortunately, the home and library were uninsured.
With over 70,000 books, it contained one of the world’s great selections of business history. Among the many gems were General Motors’ first annual report, owned and signed by primary stockholder Pierre Dupont, Daniel Burnham’s Plan of Chicago, and Moody’s Manuals dating back to the early 1900s.
The library was an inspiration for starting the American Business History Center. Gary used it extensively as a source for nearly every article we published. With the library, he rediscovered ideas and brought business history online. Without it, progress at the center will slow. We will endeavor to continue, despite this enormous setback.
Friends of Gary have created a GoFundMe, which can be found at the following link, should you wish to contribute. Your support can help him restart his life as soon as possible, so he can again be the productive, contributing lifeforce we all know and admire.
https://www.gofundme.com/f/help-gary-hoover-recover-from-a-disastrous-fire
Dave Stanwick
Chairman
American Business History Center
Top photo: What remains of Gary Hoover’s library and home
