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Dr. Robert Tompkins Library Donation
July 26,2005
The Newman Center is
excited to report an important addition to our library. A large
collection of rare books owned by Cardinal John Henry Newman
(1801-1893) has been bequeathed to the Newman Center by Robert
Tompkins, M.D., a Tulsa physician and supporter of the Newman Center.
A reception was held on
July 26, at the Newman Center, to officially install the collection and
to honor Dr. Tompkins and his family. Becky Tompkins,
granddaughter of Dr. Tompkins, was present to dedicate the collection
to the Newman Center. She hand delivered eight books that were part of
Cardinal Newman’s personal collection. “My
grandfather was inspired by great lights of the Catholic Church, like
Cardinal Newman. He was devoted to helping others, always
learning and nourishing his faith. What better legacy could be
left from him than this collection to the Newman Center at The
University of Tulsa?”
Dr. Tompkins had a
longstanding interest in Cardinal Newman. Many books in his
collection were gifts from his son, the late Tim Tompkins. Tim,
while living in Scotland, was able to search old libraries for the
books. He honored his father’s passion by giving him
several of Cardinal Newman’s personally owned and signed books.
One of the most
significant books in the collection, The Life of St. Philip Neri, is
from the 17th Century and is signed by Cardinal Newman. After his
conversion to Catholicism, Newman, inspired by St. Philip Neri’s
dedication to the intellectual and spiritual formation of youth,
founded the Birmingham Oratory in London. Newman would go on to
become the first rector of what is today University College in Dublin,
Ireland. He penned a famous treatise, The Idea of a University,
which would become the inspiration for the Catholic student association
now known as Newman Centers. The first Newman Center was founded in
1893 at the University of Pennsylvania. Cardinal Newman wrote a
number of influential books including, Via Media and Lives of the
English Saints and Apologia. Early editions of these books are
included in the collection.
Dr. Tompkins was a Tulsa
cardiologist and the first medical director of St. Francis Hospital.
His concern for the ill and the poor led him to participate in many
medical mission trips to Guatemala. Dr. Tompkins served on the
board of the St. Philip Neri Newman Center and was instrumental in
supporting the new facility when it was built in 1990. Msgr.
Daniel Mueggenborg, who served as chaplain for the Newman Center during
Dr. Tompkins tenure, states, “It has taken awhile to properly
receive and preserve this collection and we do so to remember and honor
Dr. Tompkins’ dedication to the Newman Center. We also
acknowledge the generosity of Susan Tompkins and her late husband, Tim,
for their assistance in making this donation possible.”
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