10/15/2025
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Linda Cleary
(517)282-4520
[email protected]
EAST LANSING, Mich., October, 2025 – The Michigan Political History Society has announced a significant gift from the Dan Loepp Family Foundation and Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan in support of the organization’s oral history project: The James J. Blanchard Living Library of Oral History. This milestone contribution marks a historic moment for MPHS and will fund the project for several years.
" On behalf of the Loepp Family Foundation we are proud along with Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan to help continue The Blanchard Living History program developed by the Michigan Political History Society. This Program will give future generations a direct look at the decision makers who over the last 6 decades have impacted our state in so many ways. " said Daniel Loepp, President of the Loepp Family Foundation and Lifetime Member of MPHS.
Andy Hetzel, Vice President, Communications of Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan said “As an organization with a long history of bringing stakeholders together to advance health care quality and affordability for all the people of Michigan, Blue Cross is proud to support the Gov. James J. Blanchard Living Library of Oral History. We know, through our own experience, the great strides our society can take when people with competing interests find ways to work together to advance the common good. Through this project, we hope the voices of the past can inform the thoughts and actions of future leaders as we strive for civility and common ground in our public policy.”
The goal of this project is to conduct interviews with people who have contributed to, observed, chronicled, or been active participants in Michigan’s political history. Preserving the firsthand experiences of these individuals is vital in understanding our political heritage. The library is composed of interviews of men and women, business and labor leaders and former Republican and Democratic officials who have significantly shaped Michigan's public policy and political history for several decades. The library serves as a tremendous resource to educational institutions throughout Michigan in preserving first-hand accounts of those at the threshold of Michigan's history.
These interviews are catalogued in the MPHS James J. Blanchard Living Library of Oral Histories and are available online at www.jjblivinglibrary.com.
This library was made possible by earmarking funds raised at the Governor James Blanchard MPHS fundraising tribute event at the request of Governor Blanchard who remains committed to this project.
”I believe in the work that MPHS does and am proud to be a part of this project. These histories are critical to the future of our State and it’s important to capture them to ensure that these stories are heard,” said Governor Blanchard.
MPHS President, John Kaczynski said: "The Michigan Political History Society is grateful to Dan Loepp, his family foundation, and Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan for their generous support of the James J. Blanchard Living Library. This gift ensures we can preserve and share the voices that shaped Michigan’s political history for generations to come."
