William and Mary benefits from $2.5 million gift to support libraries

Bee McLeod and Goody Tyler Elizabeth "Bee" McLeod '83, M.B.A. '91, and her husband, J. Goodenow "Goody" Tyler III of Norfolk have committed $2.5 million to provide students, faculty and the greater community access to information through state-of-the-art library systems. The gift will benefit both the Swem Library and the library at Mason School of Business. McLeod and Tyler toured construction of the business school's new Miller Hall in September. Photo courtesy of Kim Sperling

Swem Library McLeod and Tyler's gifts provide $1.5 million to the Earl Gregg Swem Library - the largest gift in the library's history. The gift of will support the library's first named position, the Marian and Alan McLeod Director of the Special Collections Research Center. Courtesy photo

Mason School of Business McLeod and Tyler's gifts provide $1 million to the Mason School of Business. The business school's future facility, Alan B. Miller Hall (pictured here), will include library space named in honor of McLeod. The facility is set to open in fall 2009. Courtesy photo

by Staff | October 24, 2008

(Williamsburg, VA) – The College of William and Mary announced today that alumna H. Elizabeth “Bee” McLeod ’83, M.B.A. ’91, and her husband, J. Goodenow “Goody” Tyler III of Norfolk have committed $2.5 million to provide students, faculty and the greater community access to information through state-of-the-art library systems.

McLeod and Tyler’s gift provides $1.5 million to the Earl Gregg Swem Library — the largest gift in the library’s history — and $1 million to the Mason School of Business. The business school’s future facility, Alan B. Miller Hall, will include library space named in honor of McLeod.

“I grew up in a house packed with books,” explained McLeod, who retired in 2007 as director of Network Operations at Cox Communications. “William and Mary is doing tremendous things in the digital area, but traditional books and materials are irreplaceable.”

“Because a library is the heart of any academic community, Bee and Goody’s support for libraries at William & Mary is especially meaningful,” said William and Mary President Taylor Reveley. “We are very grateful for this gift and the good it will do now and far into the future.”

The gift of $1.5 million to Swem Library will support the library’s first named position, the Marian and Alan McLeod Director of the Special Collections Research Center. In making the gift, the couple is honoring McLeod’s parents for their dedication to academic research and passion for great libraries. With an extensive collection of manuscripts, rare books, and other original sources, the Special Collections Research Center is a learning lab for students in the humanities, much like physical laboratories are for students in the sciences.

“This gift will directly impact the faculty, students and researchers who rely on Swem to provide unique research materials in the Special Collections Research Center,” said Connie Kearns McCarthy, dean of university libraries. “This gift also recognizes the outstanding work of Swem’s librarians such as Dr. Beatriz Betancourt Hardy, who will hold this named position.”

Through McLeod and Tyler’s support of the Mason School of Business, McLeod celebrates her special connection with the School, where she received two degrees, and her lifelong love of libraries. Upon completion of the business school’s new facility, the Elizabeth “Bee” McLeod Business Library will be located off the main public space on the building’s second floor, a prime location that will elevate the services that the school provides its students. The library will provide patrons with access to electronic and print business research resources, as well as research assistance by a professional business librarian. The McLeod Business Library will also have such library-style services as course reserve materials, electronic catalog with access to all campus libraries, study areas and copy services.

“The Mason School of Business has long been dedicated to ensuring that its community has fast access to the most accurate and up-to-the-minute business information,” said Larry Pulley ’74, dean of the business school. “Bee and Goody’s generosity will create a state-of-the-art library and information center in our new building.”

Swem Library, which completed a major renovation and 100,000-square-foot expansion in 2005, is among the leading academic research libraries in the Southeast, and students across the country recently ranked it the eighth-best College Library in the country, according to the Princeton Review. Through its collections and services, it plays a critical role in supporting the teaching and research missions of the College of William and Mary.

The Mason School of Business is an AACSB-accredited school of business. The school was named for William and Mary alumnus Raymond A. “Chip” Mason in November 2005. It will move into its new state-of-the-art building, Alan B. Miller Hall, in fall 2009. Miller Hall was named for William and Mary alumnus Alan B. Miller in March 2007.