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Friends
of the Library
Special Benefactors
Lifelong Petersburg resident Mr. Curtis L. Andrews regularly delivers bouquets of flowers to the library. He enjoys making the staff happy, and he likes to "brighten up the place."
Mr. Glin D. Casey (1914-2004), well-known artist and sculptor, donated several pieces of art to the Richard Bland College Library. Mr. Casey also donated signed copies of his booklet Sketching for Metal Sculpture and Self Development.
Mr. Robert Churn, who was once the head of Student Services at Richard Bland College, has donated two rare editions now in Special Collections at the Richard Bland College Library: The Roman History (4th edition, 1713) written by Laurence Echard in the 18th century and Sir Walter Scott's Lake of the Lake (circa 1857).
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Prior to his death in 1997 at the age of 91, local attorney and former Petersburg mayor Mr. Alexander Hamilton Jr. donated over fifty volumes to the Richard Bland College Library in the late 1990s. Many of the historical and literary titles donated by Mr. Hamilton are in Special Collections. Mr. Hamilton served as Petersburg vice mayor from 1938 to 1940, as mayor from 1940 to 1944 and as city councilman from 1944 to 1946. In addition, he was an attorney for more than 52 years, retiring as a partner in White, Hamilton, Wyche and Shell during the early 1980s.
Mrs. Thelma Helmick has donated over 230 art and photography books to the Richad Bland College library collection. Mrs. Helmick illustrated and designed the cover to Liz Howerton's From desperation to jubilation : my five year journey; she also works in oils, watercolor, pastels, colored pencils, and charcoal. Mrs. Helmick has also taught art to young students and held exhibitions throughout the greater Tri-Cities area.
Mr. William D. Henderson, published author and former Richard Bland College history professor, donated a number of his own books — many about Petersburg, Virginia — to the college library. Mr. Henderson is the member of several historical societies, is a Fellow of the Company of Military Historians and belongs to the Richmond Civil War Round Table. His donated works include:
- Petersburg in the Civil War: War at the Door
- A Chronology of History from the Age of Discovery to the End of the Reconstruction
- A Chronology of American History: From the End of Reconstruction to the Present
- Topics in American Government, The Road to Bristoe Station: Campaigning with Lee and Meade, August 1 - October 20, 1863
- 41st Virginia Infantry
- 12th Virginia Infantry
- The Evolution of Petersburg's Economy, 1860-1900
- Gilded Age City: Politics, Life and Labor in Petersburg, Virginia, 1874-1889
- The Unredeemed City: Reconstruction in Petersburg, Virginia: 1865-1874
- Civil War Petersburg: A Statistical View
- Conferederate Norfolk
- Facing the Trauma of Change: Life in Civil War Petersburg
- General Henry A. Wise: Defender of Petersburg
Mr. Richard L. Jones, author and Richard Bland College Library benefactor, presents Dr. McNeer (left) with A History of Henrico Parish and Old St. John's Church Richmond Virginia 1611-1904. Mr. Jones is author of the book Dinwiddie County, Carrefour of the Commonwealth: a History.
Ms. Elizabeth Winston Lanier, graduate of The College of William & Mary, former president of the Alpha Pi Chapter of Kappa Delta Sorority, teacher of English & American history and former member & officer of Delta Kappa Gamma, donated over 100 books and countless travel resources to the Richard Bland College Library. Her donated works include, but are certainly not limited to, the following:
- The Art & Life of Georgia O'Keefe by Jan Garden Castro
- The College of William and Mary, 1693
- Colonial Surry by John B. Boddie
- Patrick Henry: The Last Years, 1789-1799 by Patrick Daily
- Pictures of the Past: Petersburg Seen by the Simpsons, 1819-1895
Mrs. Anna Lou Musgrove (1914-2003), local artist, art teacher and patron of the arts, donated many pieces of her own artwork to the Richard Bland College Library. She also donated her slides and photos from educational trips abroad to Europe.
Roland M. Parsons of the Richard Bland College Security Department, is a very generous supporter of the Library. Over the years, he has contributed to the Graduate Books program, and he has also donated audiovisual equipment and a significant number of DVDs.
Dr. James Ryan, author and Richard Bland College Library benefactor, has donated a vast array of historical resources to the library. Many of his contributions to the collections have been added to the Virginia Room.
Mrs. Marjorie Z. Solenberger (1917-2003), Richard Bland College public relationist and library benefactor, donated several paintings to the RBC Library. Prior to her passing, she contributed significantly to the college, to the library, to the surrounding area, and to the memory of Richard Bland.
Mr. Cliff Walker (1951-2007) retired from his position as Richard Bland College Housekeeping Supervisor in 2007. This beloved employee, who worked at the College for thirty years, had always been a big supporter and "special friend" of the library!
The library has an anonymous benefactor whose generosity has greatly enhanced our feature film collection. Our mystery donor has donated thousands of DVDs and VHS tapes along with funds toward the purchase of new and replacement films. In fact, the Anonymous DVD Donor was the subject of a newspaper article in The Progress-Index: "The Richard Bland Library has a secret admirer!" — Susan Robertston, October 2, 2005. (Access DVD lists in the RBC Library.)
Librarian Irene Handy retrieves donated DVDs from the library bookdrop.
In December 2007, The Anonymous Donor treated librarians to Outback gift cards, student workers (not pictured) to Cross pens, and Captain Roland Parsons to a portable DVD player.
You Can Be a Benefactor, Too!
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Copyright (c) 1996 - 2002 by Richard Bland College
Last update: August 15, 2007
