Documents, Photos Related to 1979 Three Mile Island Nuclear Incident From Pitt's Dick Thornburgh Archives on Display in Hillman Library

PITTSBURGH-Former Pennsylvania Governor Dick Thornburgh was thrust into the international spotlight just 71 days into his first term, as he handled events surrounding the nuclear incident at Three Mile Island in Middletown, Pa., on March 28, 1979-the most significant accident in the American commercial nuclear power industry.

When Thornburgh, a 1957 graduate of Pitt's School of Law and a member of the University's Board of Trustees, donated his massive collection of papers and mementos to the University Library System in 1998, 73 boxes contained TMI-related items. Some of those artifacts from the Dick Thornburgh Archives are on view in six display cases in The Thornburgh Room, first floor, Pitt's Hillman Library, 3960 Forbes Ave., Oakland.

The display is arranged in the chronological order of events as they unfolded March 28-31. The display cases include:

o News bulletins that moved over the AP wire service, with edits by Thornburgh;

o Media coverage of the event, including a visit to TMI by then President Jimmy Carter;

o Transcript of the first news conference on the day of the accident;

o A map showing the 10-mile radius from which pregnant women and children were evacuated;

o A schematic drawing of the TMI plant;

o Front pages of various newspapers from the days of the event, including the "New York Times;" and

o Thornburgh's executive order establishing the state commission to investigate the incident.

###

3/25/09/tmw