Cook showcases former gov.

Donations of photographs, seals, stamps and more made by former Governor Robert L. Ehrlich, Jr. now line the glass cases of the Special Collections conference room in Cook Library.

With no direct connection to Towson University, Ehrlich said he is being credited for doing the right thing.

“Towson was more of an anomaly. Towson always received short treatment in the [University System of Maryland] despite the fact it was a growing school and a very important part of the USM,” Ehrlich said.

“I decided to treat Towson the way it should have been treated all along. And that got me a lot of attention from President [Hoke] Smith and Bob [Caret] as well.”

According to Ehrlich, the items on display on the fifth floor of Cook Library are a very small portion of the overall collection. Ehrlich first donated congressional papers to Towson following his congressional tenure, he said. The collection includes papers, press releases and materials from his congressional years, he said. After his term in Annapolis, Ehrlich decided to donate in a much larger way by adding much more to the collection.

“I was through being governor of the state and after being so closely aligned with Towson over the years, what is there is only the beginning of the Ehrlich room collection display,” he said.

Nadia Nasr, University archivist and digital projects librarian, describes the collection as, “Pretty amazing, I think it’s nice to get this kind of recognition and have the custodial care of these materials.”

Some of the materials include sports caps, jerseys, Maryland House of Delegates materials, U.S. House of Representative materials including his name plate, member of congress seal, whip team plaque, stamps from when he served on the post office sub-committee and more. Not only does the collection include the items on display but roughly 38 boxes in storage and items in cabinets, according to Nasr.

“There is something for everyone, the curiosity seeker and for people interested in politics,” Ehrlich said.

The collection is available for all to see, according to Nasr, who said Special Collections is open during the day Monday through Friday.

“I loved the case. I think they’ve done a spectacular job… as a first step it’s terrific but I’m really looking forward to completing the project,” Ehrlich said.

According to Nasr, they are looking hoping to make an aide to help people look through all the materials available through the collection more easily.

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