The Thrift Library at Anderson University, which is the school’s largest construction project ever and which had opened to students on Jan. 1, was dedicated April 12.
Taking part in the dedication of the Thrift Library at Anderson University are, from left, university president Evans Whitaker, Tom Thrift, Sam Thrift and Mike Moody, state convention president.Costing $7.5 million, the library, containing more than 52,000 square feet of space, honors the families of Samuel F. and Thomas E. Thrift of Oconee County. Considered “valued friends” of the school for more than 40 years, the two men operate Thrift Brothers, Inc., a highly successful construction company.
Anderson University president Evans Whitaker said at the dedication ceremonies that the the “lead gift” of the Thrift brothers, who both have served as trustees of the school, was given “to help a cause they believe in deeply.”
The library, called the “vision” of president Whitaker, was constructed to meet what was described as “a growing need for additional space to house the university’s collection and to accommodate new programs, including graduate studies.”
Housed in the Thrift Library are the Chapman Multi-Media Center, the Vandiver Gallery and the McClellion Cafe, which is the first “upscale coffee and dessert venue” on the campus – all leading to the library’s characterization as a “true learning commons.”
Laniel Chapman, co-chair of the fund-raising campaign, said that more than 700 donors contributed nearly $8 million in gifts and pledges, emphasizing that costs for the library have been “paid in full.”
Chapman also had praise for the Thrift brothers, who “laid the cornerstone for completing this worthwhile project.”
Thomas Kozel, who chairs the faculty, said that a library “is the heart of the educational enterprise, and we have a new heart.”
The Thrift Library replaces the Johnston Memorial Library, completed in the 1970s, which was an expansion of the school’s initial library. The Johnston facility honored the late South Carolina senator, Olin D. Johnston, and his wife, who was a graduate of Anderson when it was a four-year college for women.