James H. Donovan was elected chairman of the US Senate Education Committee in year 1977, and held this post for nearly 14 years. Many facilities and institutes were named in his honor after his death, out of respect for him and the incredible work that he did throughout his career.
In the southwest area of Utica there is a middle school named after him, which was built two years after his death in 1990. Also in Utica are a Donovan Stadium at Murnane Field, and a James H. Donovan Education Resource Center. There is a James H. Donovan Science & Technology Building at the SUNY Institute of Technology at Utica, in Marcy, New York. In Chadwicks, there is a James H. Donovan Community Center Building, and a Donovan Memorial Park. There is even a Senator James H. Donovan Room in the Oneida County Republican Committee Headquarters.