Mercyhurst announces Ridge Collection is in preservation and digiitization stage

The Gov. Thomas Ridge collection consists of material accumulated between 1995 and 2001.
The Gov. Thomas Ridge collection consists of material accumulated between 1995 and 2001. | File photo

Mercyhurst University is continuing work at the Gov. Thomas and Michelle Ridge Collection, with plans to construct the Ridge Reading Room within the Erie Campus' university library,

Historic images, documents and audio-visual materials are undergoing the digitization process.

“As president of Mercyhurst University, I am particularly gratified that our institution in Erie, a city where both the Gov. and Mrs. Ridge were born, has the honor of archiving their distinguished public careers,” Mercyhurst President Michael Victor said. 

A luncheon honoring the namesakes of the archival collection was held in Philadelphia. The Ridge Collection consists of material accumulated between 1995 and 2001, which covers Ridge's administration. Ridge left the office of Pennsylvania governor to serve as the nation’s first director of the Department of Homeland Security.

The archives plans to expand the materials in this collection to provide information from Ridge’s time in the Department of Homeland Security and his six terms in Congress.