Loyalist College Receives Generous Bequest from the late Mary McConnell
Loyalist College honoured the memory of the College’s first librarian today. Mary McConnell joined the College in 1967 and worked as the head librarian until she retired in 1978. During that time she built the learning resources available to College students, faculty and staff members.
When she died in March 2007, Mary left a generous donation of $30,000 to the College to be used in the library, and a further gift, in excess of $50,000, to be used to establish an endowment for student financial assistance. This donation totals over $100,000, as it has been matched by the Ontario Trust for Student Support (OTSS) program. The Mary McConnell Awards will be presented to students throughout the future.
Janet Twiddy, a long-time friend of Mary’s, and a Professor at the College, described her as, “a most gracious and generous individual. She was intelligent, eloquent, determined, and knew what she wanted and wasn’t afraid to go after it. Mary established integrated audiovisual services in the library, built up the archives, and introduced countless innovations.”
“Mary was a gracious and generous individual. One person said, ‘She had a smile that could light up a library.’ Mary enjoyed life, and in death has left these gifts for Loyalist, as well as bequests to other charities, mostly in the Belleville area, that will continue to light up the lives of people that she never met.”
College President Maureen Piercy expressed the gratitude of the College Community for this bequest.
“Mary was a remarkable individual, who contributed significantly to the development of our College. Her generous gift has been used to install a new security system in the Parrott Centre, and the endowment fund which has been established will provide countless students with financial assistance throughout the future. In honour of this gift, I am very pleased that the Board of Governors has approved the naming of one of the meeting rooms upstairs in the library as “The Mary McConnell Room”. Her memory will not be forgotten at Loyalist College.”
Media Contact: Dianne Spencer, Loyalist College Advancement & External Relations, (613) 969-1913, ext. 2235 or e-mail: dspencer@loyalistc.on.ca