Established in 2006 through an estate gift, the Allan G. Chester & Florence K. Chester Fund supports acquisitions for Penn's Rare Book & Manuscript Library.

Both Dr. and Mrs. Chester were alumni of the University of Pennsylvania. Mrs. Florence Koch Chester received her Bachelor's degree in Education in 1927, and her Master's degree in English in 1929. Dr. Allan G. Chester received his Bachelor's degree in 1922, his Master's in 1924, and his Ph.D. in 1930, all in English Literature. An expert on Renaissance literature, the history of the Bible, and Shakespeare, Dr. Chester joined the Penn faculty in 1922. He served as Chair of the English Department from 1962-1965, and in 1967 was named the Felix E. Schelling Professor of English Literature. He was also President of the University chapter of Phi Beta Kappa.

Dr. Chester was author of George Joye: A Chapter in the History of the English Bible, and Hugh Latimer: Apostle to the English. He was a member of the executive committee of the Renaissance Society of America and an editorial consultant to the Modern Language Association.

Dr. and Mrs. Chester's legacy gift will continue to impact scholars working with primary sources at Penn long into the future.