Little did Phil Sharp know his everyday paperwork would ultimately be considered valuable archives.
But for the first time in Ball State's history, congressional papers will be available at Bracken Library.
The papers are from former Ball State professor and retired Congressman Sharp, whose work on energy efficiency was honored Monday in a ceremony which opened his papers to the public.
John Straw, Bracken Library's archivist, said they will benefit people for years to come.
"A number of theses and dissertations can be written from these papers," Straw said. "There will be national and international users of the energy material."
Many of the papers comprised research done by energy studies taken during his political tenure.
Both campus and state dignitaries were on hand to herald the event and Sharp's life.
President Blaine Brownell said the papers were part of the rewards of a productive and public life.
Political science professor and department chairman Joe Losco said the papers will enhance the reputation of the university and make Ball State a center for research.
Finally, former senator Birch Bayh, the father of Sen. Evan Bayh, said the papers were a chronology of a man who made an impact and will help people see the reality of policy.
"These archives are a steady pattern of how a legislator lived his life and lived his life into law," Birch Bayh said. "What you are making available today is a wealth of studying how the government really works."
Sharp came to Ball State as a professor in 1969, political science professor Ray Scheele said.
He took a two-year leave when he was elected to Congress in 1974. When he sought re-election, he resigned from Ball State.
During his 10 terms, he helped draft the Clean Air Act amendments of 1990 and the Energy Policy Act of 1992.
He decided not to run for re-election in 1994. And in 1995, his papers came to Ball State.
Political science students and library assistants sorted the 140 boxes containing his life's work.
They were kept closed for seven years after he left office to protect anyone involved - a typical practice, Straw said.
Sharp said he was honored to give the papers to Ball State and said he hoped they would be useful to others. He also acknowledged the accomplishments of the university.
"Everyone I have spoken to has nothing but good things to say about this institution," Sharp said. "It's not just all about David Letterman. So many people often knew I had a connection to Ball State, and my appreciation for this place deepened over time."
The ceremony was part of a day of events which included a panel discussion and a speech on energy given by Sharp at Emens Auditorium.
Former congressmen Birch Bayh and Andy Jacobs and Indiana Supreme Court Justice Frank Sullivan were in attendance for the day's events.
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