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$13-million given for Eckerd library
By ALICIA CALDWELL, Times Staff Writer ST. PETERSBURG -- Two anonymous donors have given Eckerd College a total of $13-million to build a 58,000-square-foot library, the school's president said Thursday. The donations, which were contingent upon one another, together form the largest single gift the college has received in its 43-year history, said college president Donald R. Eastman. Eastman pointed to the money as evidence that donors' confidence in the institution's financial dealings had been restored. Two years ago, the school disclosed that some two thirds of the college's $34-million endowment had been spent without appropriate authorization. The first sign of that support was trustees' donations to replace the nearly $20-million that had been quietly spent on questionable investments and unsuccessful real estate deals, Eastman said. The library donation, Eastman said, is a "second huge vote of confidence from our donors." The library announcement also comes just a few days before the gala inauguration for Eastman, who took over last summer as the college's president. The festivities will include a posh dinner, by invitation, at the Don Cesar Beach Resort & Spa on Friday, and a public ceremony at First Presbyterian Church in St. Petersburg on Saturday. Eastman replaced Peter Armacost, who announced his retirement at the time the questionable spending was disclosed. The groundbreaking for the new library, which will hold nearly 300,000 books, is set for this fall. At that time the names of the donors will be announced. Eastman declined to say who they are, divulging only that they are not alumni of the school. Construction is expected to take 18 to 24 months, said Kitty Rawson, Eckerd's associate director of public relations. Fox Hall, a lakefront building that hosts receptions and other activities, will be razed to make room for the new library. The new three-story library will be twice as large as the existing library, which was opened in 1962, and will contain substantially increased study and meeting space. "This library is incorporating a great deal more than just bookshelves," said Charles Canerday, the St. Petersburg architect who designed the contemporary style building. The new facility will help the school fix what Eastman said is its primary shortcoming: Outdated buildings. "The weakness Eckerd has is facilities," Eastman said. "Our dormitories are too old, and our library was inadequate. The sooner we fix those things, the sooner we become one of the top liberal arts colleges in the region and the country." As is the case now, members of the public will be able to use the library but cannot check out books unless they buy a membership, which costs $30 annually for an individual. While the new Eckerd library is a large facility for Pinellas County, its size is not unprecedented. The Nelson Poynter Memorial Library, on University of South Florida's Bayboro campus, has 81,000 square feet. The library at Stetson College of Law is 58,000 square feet. The gift that will enable Eckerd to build the library is what people who work in philanthropy call a challenge gift: Someone pledges to give a certain amount if -- and only if -- another amount is raised. Typically, it's a matching gift, but that was not the case in this situation, Eastman said. Though the details of the gift weren't finalized until last week, Rawson said the donation was the result of long-standing relationships between the donors and the school. And the library gift, while taken together is the single largest amount of money given to the school at one time, the man for whom the school was named contributed more money all told. Clearwater drugstore magnate Jack M. Eckerd gave the school $10-million in 1971, and overall more than $15-million. -- Times researcher Cathy Wos contributed to this report.
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