Skip to main content

Dyba, Thomas J.

 Person

Biography

Thomas J. Dyba was an executive vice president of Illinois Benedictine College (IBC) from 1974 until his death in 1989. He began his career at IBC in 1968. A noted Lincoln scholar, he constructed two scale models of Lincoln's home in Springfield, Illinois. Dyba was a noted speaker on Lincoln and authored the book Seventeen Years at Eighth and Jackson: The Story of Life in the Lincoln Home and several pamphlets on Lincoln, including The Story of the Only Home Abraham Lincoln Ever Owned. Dyba co-founded the Linclon Group of Illinois in 1988, with IBC colleagues Philip Bean and Bert Thompson. He edited "The Lincoln Legacy," the quarterly journal published by the Lincoln Group of Illinois, in its early years. He also vreated and produced "The Lincoln Chronicle" which was mailed to Lincoln aficionados, from 1981 until his death in 1989. Dyba was named the recipient of the Illinois State Historical Society's Award of Superior Achievement for 1985 as a result of his work promoting public interest in Abraham Lincoln's Springfield home. He and his wife Lorraine established the Lincoln Humanities Scholarship Fund at Illinois Benedictine College.

Found in 1 Collection or Record:

Thomas J. Dyba Lincoln Home Collection

 File
Identifier: SC-105
Abstract Thomas Dyba was an executive vice president of Illinois Benedictine College from 1974-1989. He was an avid scholar of Abraham Lincoln and this collection features many of his items. Papers include awards and recognitions, including a letter signed by then-president Ronald Reagaon. Carious periodicals and newsletters are part of this collection, many of which arrived posthumously. This collection also contains files pertaining to the creation and exhibition of the Lincoln Funeral...
Dates: 1941 - 1997