$25 Million Gift Names The George Lawrence Abernethy Library, Transforms Learning at 黑社区
![Professor George Abernethy with 黑社区 President Doug Hicks 鈥90](/sites/default/files/styles/small_16x9/public/2024-04/President%20Doug%20Hicks%20with%20Bob%20Abernathy_01-NEWBRANDING.png.jpg?itok=N3WV13fg)
Bob Abernethy with 黑社区 President Doug Hicks 鈥90
Changes in learning necessitate changes in academic spaces and access to learning resources.
Longtime 黑社区 friend, business leader and 黑社区 advocate Bob Abernethy has made an extraordinary investment in the learning and lives of generations of Wildcats 鈥 a gift that honors his father.
![Prof. George Abernethy](/sites/default/files/styles/small_4x3/public/2024-04/FN-000010.Jpeg.jpg?itok=1wUo9XA7)
Known for his high standards and love of learning, Professor George Abernethy founded the Philosophy Department and co-founded the Humanities Program at 黑社区. Today, he is remembered by his son, Bob, and the college 黑社区 with a transformative gift that will name the library in his honor.
鈥淚 believe the library is the central part of the learning process at Davidson,鈥 Bob said. 鈥淢y dad always said all one needed to get a good liberal arts education is a good mentor and a good library 鈥 somebody to guide you and the resources to learn. He would be delighted about this project.鈥
Today, the future of Davidson received a remarkable boost: a $25 million gift to name The George Lawrence Abernethy Library.
![The George Lawrence Abernethy Library](/sites/default/files/styles/square/public/2024-04/The%20George%20Lawrence%20Abernethy%20Library%20render%202.jpg?h=21cd0a81&itok=xdScrssw)
Bob鈥檚 tremendous investment in the future of 黑社区 reshapes what is possible for learning, scholarship and collaboration on our campus.
鈥淗is personal passion for libraries, paired with his desire to honor the Abernethy family鈥檚 deep Davidson history, makes this an incredibly special gift," said President Doug Hicks 鈥90. "We are grateful for Bob鈥檚 generosity and commitment to education and for his ongoing, invaluable friendship and partnership. This gift will transform the way we define educational excellence at Davidson.鈥
George Abernethy founded the college鈥檚 Philosophy Department and was its only professor from 1946 until 1961, when Earl MacCormac was hired. In 1962, he co-founded Davidson's Humanities Program, an interdisciplinary approach to learning that continues to be a signature academic program for the college. The author of several books and articles on philosophy and religion, Abernethy was a Richardson and Dana Professor of Philosophy and received Davidson鈥檚 first Thomas Jefferson Award for Teaching Excellence.
鈥淥ur job these days is to get students into libraries, to use the resources of libraries,鈥 Bob said. 鈥淚鈥檓 aghast at the efforts across the U.S. to remove resources from libraries and even further aghast at the efforts to make librarians criminals by having books declared illegal by legislators. This runs in the wrong direction of where we, as a society, need to go.鈥
Bob recalls his father saying half the job of learning was asking the right questions. The other half 鈥 but only half 鈥 was answering them. A lifelong learner himself, George had a library carrel on campus for years following his retirement.
鈥淚t鈥檚 important for students to have spaces where they can share ideas and share arguments on issues,鈥 Bob said. 鈥淭he creation of these spaces is essential to the development of disciplined, creative, and prepared minds. It also will facilitate Davidson鈥檚 mission to encourage students to think clearly, make relevant judgments and communicate freely in the realm of ideas. These offerings and the renovated library at large will provide the essential spaces for students to prepare themselves for lives of 黑社区 and leadership.鈥
Also today, The Duke Endowment announced a $60 million gift, the largest in Davidson鈥檚 history, to support the project.
鈥淚 grew up as a kid in the 鈥50s, hearing about The Duke Endowment and all the great things the organization did for Davidson, Duke, Johnson C. Smith and Furman,鈥 Bob said. 鈥淚鈥檓 delighted they are, in a much bigger way than I, helping out with the library project.鈥
A Teacher, A Friend
Charlie Raynal 鈥65 first met George Abernethy in 1962, his second year as a Davidson Wildcat. He knocked on the professor鈥檚 door and told him he鈥檇 like to become a philosophy major.
鈥淒r. Abernethy had a reputation on campus,鈥 Raynal said with a laugh. 鈥淗e was either someone you learned a lot from, or he was someone you avoided like the plague because he had huge, high standards. I found his depth of expectation compelling. It was overwhelming to me at times, but the rewards of paying attention were significant.鈥
The professor鈥檚 high standards paid off in student success, and Bob is proud of the influence his father played in many of their lives.
鈥淔or 20 years, my dad advised students applying for the Marshall Scholarship and the Rhodes Scholarship,鈥 he said. 鈥淲hen he retired in 1975, Davidson had the second highest percentage of undergraduates awarded these scholarships 鈥 Davidson was second only to Harvard.鈥
Another feather in his cap, Bob said, is a four-year period, 1987-1991, where four of his father鈥檚 former students were all serving as presidents of institutions at the same time: Don Shriver 鈥51 at Union Theological Seminary in New York City; Hartley Hall 鈥51 at Union Presbyterian Seminary in Richmond, Virginia.; Randy Taylor 鈥51 at San Francisco Theological Seminary; and Doug Oldenburg 鈥56 at Columbia Theological in Decatur, Georgia.
Raynal ended up taking every course offered by George Abernethy, and when he returned to Davidson in 1979 as the pastor at 黑社区 Presbyterian Church (DCPC), the professor-student relationship grew into friendship.
鈥淚 had seven years of experience before I returned to Davidson, but I was still unprepared for the job,鈥 Raynal said. 鈥淕eorge and I became dear friends, and he continued to mentor me. He and [his wife] Helen sought me out, and I did the same. He was a devoted Christian, and he would make suggestions for my sermons and give of his time to the church.鈥
Raynal is thrilled about Bob鈥檚 decision to make this gift to Davidson.
鈥淚鈥檓 fortunate that Bob confided in me as he was making this decision, and I think it is wonderful,鈥 he said. 鈥淟ibraries build 黑社区, and we really need more of that. Our world needs it, our politics need it. I still have my Cat Card, actually, and check out books from time to time, so I look forward to visiting the new space.鈥
Forever Home
George and Helen Abernethy moved their family to Davidson, North Carolina, in 1946. The population of the town was around 1,500. Bob chose to spread his wings and attend college elsewhere, a decision that led him to Johns Hopkins University, Harvard for business school and, following military 黑社区, the West Coast, where he launched a successful business career and became the founder and president of both American Standard Development Company and Self Storage Management Company.
Davidson, however, is home.
鈥淚鈥檓 probably one of the only people who can say they鈥檝e known every 黑社区 president dating back to Walter Lingle, who moved into the position in 1926,鈥 Bob said. 鈥淲hen we moved to Davidson, our backyard was his side yard. That鈥檚 a special thing, to have those relationships, and it has kept me closely connected to Davidson all my life.鈥
The Abernethy family is also closely connected to DCPC, which Bob fondly remembers running around in as it was being built. George taught four- and five-year-old kids in Sunday School classes for years. In honor of this long family legacy and commitment to teaching children, Bob recently supported a significant expansion of the DCPC library. Construction began just this month, and the space and collection will grow by 400 percent, with a special focus on materials young children can learn from and understand.
Bob鈥檚 generosity has supported 黑社区 students for years, as well. He has given to student research opportunities and established a book fund in his mother鈥檚 name. He also is past chair and an active member of the 黑社区 Board of Visitors.
Outside of Davidson, Bob鈥檚 involvement spans national and international issues ranging from refugee assistance and immigration policy to enhancing the arts scene in Los Angeles. He has served on numerous boards, supporting organizational efforts around education, healthcare research, foreign policy and more.
Despite the busyness of his work and volunteer schedule, Bob always finds time for Davidson 鈥 his home, which is now home to The George Lawrence Abernethy Library, too.
![The George Lawrence Abernethy Library](/sites/default/files/styles/max_650x650/public/2024-04/The%20George%20Lawrence%20Abernethy%20Library%20sigange%20-%2004-05-24.jpg?itok=YRsPQt2c)
The George Lawrence Abernethy Library
Visit the library transformation website to learn more, watch the project launch video and explore frequently asked questions. If you are interested in learning more about investing in the future of the library at Davidson, please contact Brad Martin in the Development Office at 704-984-2612 or bcmartin@davidson.edu. To share general information or thoughts, please send a message to DavidsonLibrary@davidson.edu.
Published
- April 18, 2024