For 50 years, Penn State Fayette, The Eberly Campus has benefited from the generosity of its founding family, whose members continue to touch the school in ways both large and small. Robert E. Eberly Jr. recently donated a collection of more than 70 books about the Civil War to the campus library.
Eberly’s interest in the "War Between the States" stems from an annual childhood visit to the Gettysburg battlefield with his father. During one of those trips, he began reading Bruce Cattan’s famous Civil War trilogy. “I’ve just been hooked ever since,” he said.
A lawyer by training, Eberly practiced law for 27 years, retiring from the U.S. Navy General Counsel’s Office in 1996. While he was working in Washington, D.C., his wife, Katherine, volunteered for the National Archives, where she researched her family’s history. This prompted him to wonder if any of his ancestors had fought in the Civil War.
So, on nights and weekends, Eberly visited the archives to research his family tree. He discovered that five of his great grandfathers actually had fought with the Army of the Potomac throughout the Civil War. “Then the bug really bit,” he said, and he delved deeper into the books, seeking their regiments and where they did battle.
This research eventually led Eberly to write a Civil War book, "Bouquets from the Cannon's Mouth: Soldiering with the Eighth Regiment of the Pennsylvania Reserves," published in 2005. He acquired many of the books he is donating to Penn State Fayette while researching Bouquets from the Cannon’s Mouth.
One of the most significant books in his donation is actually a series of 14 volumes called "History of Pennsylvania Volunteers." “This is absolutely the bible for anybody doing research into ancestors who fought with the Army of the Potomac,” said Eberly. “It is a thumbnail history of every single regiment. Pennsylvania had 160-some regiments.
“The thing that is spectacular about this set is that, after the five- or six-page narrative, there are 15 … 20 … 30 pages of muster roll data about every single soldier who fought in that regiment at any point during the war.”
Perhaps realizing how passionate he had become in describing the history series, Eberly made an admission. “I don’t have a lot of vices,” he said, “but one vice that I absolutely own up to is books.”
Given this “vice” and his affinity for the books in his Civil War collection, it is especially fortunate that Eberly has donated them to the campus that bears his family name, noted Lori Omatick, director of development. “We are very pleased that Mr. Eberly has chosen to make such a kind donation to enhance the campus’ library collection,” she said. “His generosity has made this tremendous resource available not only to Penn State Fayette students, but also to the community at large, and for this we are extremely grateful.”
Supporters like the Eberly family are invaluable partners in fulfilling the University’s land-grant mission of education, research and service. Private gifts from alumni, friends and corporate partners enrich the experiences of students both in and out of the classroom; expand the research and teaching capacity of our faculty; enhance the University's ability to recruit and retain top students and faculty; and help to ensure that students from every economic background have access to a Penn State education. The University's colleges and campuses are now enlisting the support of alumni and friends to advance a range of unit-specific initiatives.