DALLAS (July 24, 2006)—Half Price Books, one of the nation's largest new and used bookstore chains, will donate a collection of more than 95 original and copied documents that came from former University of Texas at Austin's Chief of Security Allen Hamilton's personal files. All of the items are part of Hamilton's report and investigation of the Charles Whitman sniper shooting. Hamilton left the University in 1971 to become Special Consultant for Building Security at UT System. He retired in 1977.

On August 1, 1966, Whitman went to the top of the University of Texas's 27-story tower and shot and killed 14 people and wounded 33 others before he was shot dead by Austin police.

"Last Spring, we were able to acquire a box of papers related to the shooting from a member of Hamilton's family who came into Half Price Books," said Steve Leach, used merchandise buyer for Half Price Books. "We immediately recognized the historical value of the documents and wanted to be sure they were secured for posterity."

Half Price Books will turn the documents over to the University of Texas during an event at 10:30 a.m., August 1, at the Half Price Books store located at 5555 N. Lamar, in Austin. The collection will become a permanent part of the university's Center for American History (CAH).

The Center will add Chief Hamilton's documents to University records held in its archives. In addition to files about the Whitman tragedy located in the UT President's and Chancellor's records, CAH has Gary Lavergne's comprehensive body of research materials he gathered while writing A Sniper in the Tower. These and scrapbooks containing articles clipped from major newspapers and magazines are available to researchers as well as the microfilmed newspapers, Austin American-Statesman and Daily Texan for 1966.

"We are grateful to Half-Price Books for their effort to preserve these records and to make them available for research," said Don Carleton, director of UT's Center for American History. "The collection is a welcome addition to our extensive holdings documenting this tragic event."

About Half Price Books
Half Price Books is one of the nation's largest new and used bookstore chains with 85 retail locations in 14 states. Stores are open seven days a week and buy and sell new and used books, magazines, comics, records, CDs, DVDs and collectible items. Through the years the company has recycled more than 16 million books, saving more than 650,000 trees. Half Price Books has been dedicated to literacy efforts for more than 30 years, supporting hundreds of projects including The Bedtime Story Book Contest, Reach Out and Read, and the annual Half Pint Library Book Drive. In addition, Half Price Books is a founding contributor to Laura Bush's National Book Festival. For more information about Half Price Books, please visit www.halfpricebooks.com.