Gift Surge Pushes Saint Martin's Library Campaign Over Goal

LACEY, Wash. -- The $10 million capital campaign for a new library building under construction at Saint Martin's College jumped over the goal in December, the scheduled end, but contributions continue to pour in.

A groundswell of late 1999 gifts and pledges lifted total support for the drive to $10,250,000. Contributions since then have added $50,000. The college will continue to accept gifts until the building is dedicated next fall, directing new support to furnishings and equipment purchases.

Much of the library campaign's late success came from a $250,000 goal completion challenge offered last spring by The Kresge Foundation, Troy, Michigan. The grant was conditional upon the College raising another $575,000 by December 31 to meet the drive's target. Responding to the challenge, alumni and friends from around the nation and area organizations provided gifts and pledges of all sizes. By the challenge deadline, Saint Martin's end of the bargain was met and then some.

The campaign also got a big closing boost from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Seattle. The nation's largest philanthropic trust made a grant of $200,000. It has supported many public library projects in recent years and several academic ones.

"The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation is happy to join the effort to increase access to technology for the students at Saint Martin's," William H. Gates, Sr., co-chair of the foundation said. "Libraries have long been a great place of learning and we are glad that will continue at Saint Martin's with the improved facility."

The building will house a large computer "Information Commons" and a computer classroom. Also, there will be about 400 Internet connection points throughout its three floors.

To date, the campaign has attracted gifts from nearly 1,000 donors, including two contributions that topped $1 million. Twenty-four others were for $100,000 or more. Local gifts in late 1999 that helped put the fund drive over the top included $100,000 from the College's patron, Saint Martin's Abbey, bringing its total project support to $600,000, and a pledge of $25,000 from the Rotary Club of Lacey.

"We couldn't be happier with the outpouring of generosity from all over the country that has made this big campaign so successful," said Olympia property developer Hal Marcus, who co-chaired the drive for five years with his wife, Inge, a Saint Martin's graduate. "It has drawn a remarkable blend of local, regional and national support, about half of it from right here in Thurston County. We want to offer our deepest appreciation to everyone, near and far, who has helped us reach the ambitious goal. This library will be a tremendous asset for Saint Martin's for decades to come," Marcus said.

In addition to Mr. and Mrs. Marcus, members of the campaign's steering committee, who worked intensively since 1994 to reach the drive's goal, include: Rev. Michael Feeney, O.S.B., honorary chair, who died on February 4; James Fletcher, Issaquah, campaign counsel; Gerald Gallagher, Seattle; Thomas Kane, Seattle; Robert Mallon, Tacoma; George Meyer, Olympia; Gary Mulhall, Olympia, campaign director; Thomas O'Grady, Westport, Connecticut; Frank Owens, Olympia; Ken Parsons, Sr., Lacey, Saint Martin's board of trustees chairman; Dick Pust, Olympia; Rt. Rev. Neal Roth, Abbot, Saint Martin's Abbey; Dr. David Spangler, Saint Martin's College president; and, Suzann Stahl, Olympia, former campaign assistant director.

"This was an extraordinary effort and commitment by the steering committee over a long period of time, for which all of us associated with the College are extremely grateful," said Dr. Spangler. "Few people really know how much intensive volunteer work goes into a big campaign like this. To the best of our knowledge, this is the largest sum, by far, ever raised for a single project in Thurston County. That's an achievement in which all alumni and friends of Saint Martin's can take great pride," Spangler added.

Internationally famous architect Michael Graves, Princeton, New Jersey in collaboration with SERA architects, Portland, designed the 43,000 sq. ft. library. Construction by Olympia general contractor Berschauer Phillips is underway in the center of the school's 200-acre campus.

Completion is scheduled for next fall. The building will be named "O'Grady Library" in honor of campaign steering committee member and Saint Martin's alumnus Thomas B. O'Grady, Westport, Connecticut, and his extended family. He and his wife, Kathleen, opened the drive with a gift of $1.25 million. The couple has given the College several million dollars in recent years for a wide variety of campus improvements and programs. (Persons who want to check out construction progress can find a view camera at the Saint Martin's Website.)

Gary Mulhall, director of institutional advancement and campaign director, is pleased to see the campaign move beyond the goal. "The present support level covers construction and some basic amount of furnishings, but we welcome more gifts to really outfit this building in a way it's quality and service requirements demand. There are still rooms open for naming sponsorships that offer perpetual honor to families, businesses and organizations," he said.

Mulhall also said that engraved donor recognition items are available in a plaza--"Benedict Square"—to be built in front of the library.