Gift Endows Lavery Library’s Archives and Special Collections

Lavery Library’s Archives and Special Collections support the Fisher curriculum and student experience as well as research and scholarship, and amplify untold stories. A gift from Dr. Thomas Tyson, professor emeritus, will help to continue to elevate these resources for research at St. John Fisher University.

The Fisher Archives and Special Collections document the history of Fisher from its initial planning by the Basilian Fathers in 1946 to the present day. They seek to collect, preserve, and provide access to the rare and unique materials housed in the collections and promote the use of these materials by the University community, scholars, and the public. 

Tyson, who retired in August 2022 after a distinguished career, spent decades teaching Fisher accounting students and shaping the field of accounting history. He was an active scholar with 75 peer-reviewed publications and over 80 presentations in Australia, Canada, Denmark, Ireland, New Zealand, Spain, the U.K., and U.S. Much of his research was conducted in St. John Fisher’s University Archives. 

In the 2003 issue of “Advances in Accounting,” Tyson was named one of the five most prolific accounting authors among 201 individuals receiving Ph.D.s in accounting in 1987. In 2010, he received the prestigious Academy of Accounting Historians’ Hourglass Award for his research in accounting history. During his tenure, Tyson also received three Fulbright Specialist Grants to conduct research and present seminars at Newcastle University and Durham University in the U.K.