State Senator Andrew Dinniman Papers

Collection

Identifier: UA5-01-011

Staff Only

The collection is divided into a total of ten series. Series 1-6 are devoted to particular roles served by Dinniman during successive periods of his career; series 7-11 contain items of similar format or genre and span the range of the Dinniman’s professional life. Series 3 & Series 4 each include five sub-series; folders in some of these sub-series are further sorted and alphabetized under more specific topics. See container listing for more details.

Series 1: Early Political Positions, 1962-1979 spans the period from Dinniman’s campaign for freshmen university class president through his service on the Board of Directors of Downingtown Area School District. Series 2: West Chester University, 1972-2020 covers the five decades of Dinniman’s tenure on the university’s faculty; folders in this series are devoted to particular courses taught, programs developed or led, academic roles held, talks, publications, and similar topics, while photographs, memorabilia, and some awards are stored in oversize boxes as indicated in the container listing.

Series 3: Chester County Commissioner, 1992-2006 includes five sub-series: Sub-series A: Public Issues covers a range of Dinniman’s political causes at the county level such as food and housing insecurity, emerging technology, preservation of open space, and economic development; Sub-series B: Outreach & Events documents various efforts to connect with constituents and increase awareness and support issues; Sub-series C: Governance includes items related directly to the administrative responsibilities of the commissioners; Sub-series D: Campaigns & Elections contains materials and messaging from each of Dinniman’s multiple campaigns for election; and Sub-series E: Honors & Awards contains a sample of the many organizations that recognized Dinniman for his achievement. Some artifacts, awards, honors, photographs, and other individual items are housed in oversize boxes; see container listing below for details. Series 4: Pennsylvania State Senate, 2006-2020 documents Dinniman’s tenure in Harrisburg and includes five sub-series: Sub-series A: Public Issues surveys many policies successfully championed by Dinniman in areas such as education, the environment, and public health; Sub-series B: Outreach & Events includes hundreds of press releases, newsletters, and other materials illustrating ongoing communication with constituents; Sub-series C: Governance documents Dinniman’s work on the state budget, taxes, and government reform efforts; Sub-series D: Campaigns & Elections covers Dinniman’s initial election and subsequent runs for a seat in the senate; Sub-series E: Honors & Awards include tokens of the state-level recognition and respect shown by his colleagues and multiple organizations culminating with acknowledgement of his long service upon retirement.

Series 5: Democratic Party, 1972-2020 covers long-time efforts on behalf of the party at the local, state, and national levels. Items reveal Dinniman’s roles as a party leader and supporter of various candidates. Campaign literature and promotional materials in this series feature many prominent state and nationally known candidates and elected officials. Also present are Dinniman’s passes to the many Democratic National Conventions he attended as a delegate from Pennsylvania.

Series 6: Post-Senate, 2020-Present contains various correspondence, marketing materials, memorabilia, and other documents chronicling several of Dinniman’s ongoing public projects and commitments. Items recording his future activities will be added to this series in the years to come. Dinniman’s updated CV, including a list of his growing number of awards & honors will be kept in Folder 1 of this series. Series 7: Photographs includes original and photocopied images of Dinniman with various individuals, many of them leading political figures of the past and present, at numerous events and locations. The images in this series represent the bulk dates of the overall collection. Series 8: Audio & Visual includes several hundred recordings of events, speeches, interviews, and other forums featuring or including Dinniman. Formats are VHS, DVD, and other digital file formats.

Series 9: Oversize Artifacts, Awards & Honors houses items from multiple series that do not fit in file boxes or require unique housing for preservation purposes. Various folder level entries in the container listing indicate that additional items may be housed in this series. Series 10: Political Memorabilia contains some of the many politically themed items Dinniman collected over many decades. These items are not directly affiliated with his own career, but illustrate Dinniman’s lifelong interest and affinity for local and national politics and political figures. Series 11: Books includes several dozen autographed, inscribed, limited edition, or other printed works collected by Dinniman during his career. Title range from local to international interest, including many volumes devoted to particular pertinent issues or causes and warmly dedicated out of gratitude and friendship.

Dates

1962-2025

Creator

Dinniman, Andrew E. (Person)

Extent

50 Boxes

Additional Description

Overview

The papers include course information, records related to student programs, and scholarship produced during Dinniman’s tenure as a professor at West Chester University, as well as correspondence, press clippings, press releases, and various other records documenting his time as both a Commissioner of Chester County (Pa.) and a Pennsylvania State Senator.

Biographical / Historical

Andrew E. Dinniman was born on October 10, 1944, in New Haven, Connecticut. He earned a B.A. from the University of Connecticut (1966); an M.A. from the University of Maryland (1969); and an Ed.D. from Pennsylvania State University (1978). In 1972, Dinniman joined the faculty of West Chester State College, where he taught African American history, ethnic and global studies, public policy, and other courses until his retirement in 2020. During his tenure at West Chester, he also led both the Ethnic Studies Institute and the Center for International Programs.

Dinniman’s political career spans five decades. Before becoming a county commissioner, he served for four years (1975-1979) on the Board of Directors of the Downingtown Area School District and later chaired the Chester County Democratic Committee (1979-1985). In 1992, he was elected to his first term on the Chester County Board of Commissioners. During his 14 years as a commissioner (1992-2006), Dinniman addressed various issues, including housing and food insecurity, preservation of open space, emergency services and communication, economic development, education, and more.

In 2006, Dinniman won the election for Pennsylvania State Senator of the 19th district, becoming the first Democratic senator to represent Chester County since the 1800s. In Harrisburg, he was the long-serving Minority Chair of the Pennsylvania Senate Education Committee (2008-2020), while also working on committees for Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Consumer Protection and Professional Licensure, Environmental Resources and Energy, Game and Fisheries, Joint Legislative Conservation, and Capitol Preservation. The Senate appointed Dinniman to the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission, Ben Franklin Technology Development Authority, Pennsylvania State School Board, Pennsylvania State Public Building Authority, Higher Education Facilities Authority, Education Commission of the States, and the Lincoln University Board of Trustees.

In addition to his various public offices, Dinniman performed various roles within the Democratic Party. He represented Pennsylvania as a delegate to the Democratic National Convention on multiple occasions (2016, 1996, 1992, 1988, and 1984), while supporting the campaigns of numerous local, state, and national politicians. He served as a member of the Democratic National Committee and the Pennsylvania State Democratic Committee.

Dr. Dinniman has received hundreds of awards and honors from local, state, national, and global entities recognizing his contributions and achievements. In 2021, West Chester University named him Professor Emeritus. Two years later, the university dedicated the Senator Andrew Dinniman Diversity Walk, a thoroughfare in the heart of campus. The Chester County Commissioners named a county park’s garden in his honor, and Lincoln University presented him with an Honorary Degree of Humane Letters. Following his retirement from the PA Senate, Dinniman has launched several projects, including the Together Endowment at WCU, which funds programming to enhance diversity and foster constructive engagement between all members of society.

Digital Holdings

Scans of selected items from the collection will be accessible on a searchable platform soon. Some videos, including those of recent and upcoming forums addressing a number of Senator Dinniman’s causes, will also be made available for online viewing. For more information, contact Special Collections.