In Memoriam: Henry J. Blommer, Sr., C'26

In July 1992 the Georgetown University Library Associates lost a member whose impact on the library and the university as a whole has been of immeasurable significance. Henry Blommer, whose name is carried by the Blommer Science Library, the Blommer Information Center, and the Graduate Students Reading Lounge in the Lauinger Library, passed away at his home in Milwaukee, at the age of 87.

Mr. Blommer's influence on the library and the university began decades ago, and his close relationship with Rev. Edward J. Bunn, S.J., president of the university from 1952 to 1964, allowed him to put some of his most important ideas into motion. For example, Mr. Blommer thought that the university needed a single building within which to centralize the science departments and, equally important, a single science library. He assisted Father Bunn in the fund raising required to pursue this vision, flying his small plane around the the central part of the country with Father Bunn as his passenger, visiting alumni and friends who might be persuaded to share their dream. They succeeded. The Reiss Science Building was built and the Blommer Science Library was a significant component from the outset.

Together with his two brothers, Henry in 1939 founded Blommer Chocolate Company, the largest domestic manufacturer of bulk chocolate. The firm purchases chocolate internationally, processes it in the United States, and sells the processed chocolate to candy companies in the United States. Henry Blommer never tired of talking about the adventures that he had in other countries, pursuing a business understood by relatively few people, and his listeners would come away both educated about the chocolate business and fascinated by it.

Henry and his wife Viola helped to create more than a chocolate company; their immediate family has grown to include a number of grandchildren and great grandchildren. Henry's example led several children and grandchildren to attend Georgetown, and then become important participants in the Georgetown enterprise in their own right. Eldest son Henry (Hank) has just completed a term on the Board of Regents; grandson Peter is a recently elected member of the Library Advisory Council; and grandson Steven is on the staff of the Medical Center.

The library, and the Library Associates, will miss Henry Blommer immensely. He was a friend, a gentleman, a supporter; his legacy ensures that students and scholars of Georgetown will never forget him.