LeRoy Crummer, MD (1872-1934)
LeRoy Crummer, MD, was a respected cardiologist with a private practice in Omaha. He was also a professor at the University of Nebraska College of Medicine from 1908 to 1930. During World War I, Dr. Crummer served in the Army Medical Corps as a special inspector directly under the surgeon general.
After the war, Dr. Crummer became an avid book collector. He expounded on the description of his study of book and auction catalogs as a “daily habit.” Familiar with the best-known booksellers and collectors across the United States and Europe, he had a remarkable understanding and knowledge for not only his own collection, but for many areas of the medical bibliographic record. Dr. Crummer traveled frequently to New York and London to purchase rare books. He especially liked Maggs in London, where he said many of his greatest treasures came from. He embraced book collecting as a way of life and the key social interactions that went along with it, including rich conversation, food, and smoking cigarettes. While Dr. Crummer never returned to Germany after the war, he kept his connections open and acquired many books from German dealers. His acquisitions formed the foundation of what is now McGoogan Library’s rare book collection.