Thomas Hubbard Vail Motter left a bequest to Penn's Biomedical Library (now the Biotech Commons) in memory of his father, Murray Galt Motter, M.D., for subscriptions to and maintenance of current scientific periodicals.

Dr. Motter received his M.D. from Penn in 1890 and went on to a career in public health. He served as commissioner of pharmacy for the District of Columbia, and later chief inspector and deputy health officer for the District. It is appropriate that a Penn Library fund bears his name, as he served as Director of Library Service for the United States Public Health Service from 1908 until his retirement in 1924.