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RATHBURNS TO DONATE $3 MILLION FOR NEW BUILDING |
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August 18, 2011
GROVE CITY, Pa. – Grove City College Chairman of the Board of Trustees, David R. Rathburn ’79, and his wife, Jayne, have announced a $3-million gift for the new Christian Activities Building, which broke ground in a ceremony held on May 13 near Harbison Chapel on campus. The Board of Trustees voted at their May 2011 meeting to name the building Rathburn Hall in the couple’s honor. The architect of the building is Archer & Buchanan Architecture, LTD, of Philadelphia, Pa., with contracting by Wallace Builders General Contractors of Pulaski, Pa.
Rathburn Hall is one of six initiatives of a $90-million capital campaign, the largest in College history. Grove City Matters: A Campaign to Advance Grove City College will also raise funds for a Science, Engineering and Mathematics Building, The Center for Vision & Values program, The Center for Entrepreneurship & Innovation program, scholarships and unrestricted giving. The campaign launched with a celebration featuring former first lady Laura W. Bush on the evening of May 14 at the Fairmont Hotel in Pittsburgh, Pa.
In an address at the annual Trustee-Faculty luncheon in May 2010, Rathburn spoke of friends of the College who, in the midst of the Great Depression, managed to dedicate Harbison Chapel and the science building, now known as Rockwell Hall, because they intended to preserve the mission of Grove City College for future generations.
Inspired by their predecessors, the Rathburns’ donation will help construct the $6.8-million building on campus during this time of economic concerns. “We won’t halt our capital campaign because of uncertainty,” said Rathburn in his address to board members, faculty and administration last year. “I would argue there have been few better times (to press forward) because people want to support things they can believe in – they want to invest their money in places where they know it can make a difference.”
Rathburn Hall will serve as a touchstone to the total campus experience of students as they continue to develop as moral and ethical leaders. The construction of the new facility will provide seminar/meeting rooms, a fellowship hall and office spaces for the Chapel staff.
Situated adjacent to Harbison Chapel, Rathburn Hall will meet the growing need for a centralized location to house administrative offices, provide flexible training spaces and foster an appropriate atmosphere for all student activities. The facility will create expanded opportunities for summer conferences, church retreats, programs for the enhancement of church members, and special guests for chapel and ministry programs as well as other general campus needs and uses.
Acknowledging the Rathburns’ gift, College President Richard G. Jewell ’67 said, “This gift is important for three reasons. First, it was a pacesetter major gift in the quiet phase of our ‘Grove City Matters’ Capital Campaign. Second, it is a wonderful challenge to others to step up and become involved in this great Campaign in our College’s history. And finally, it is just one more example of the many splendid gifts of time, talent and treasure the Rathburns have made to Grove City College over the years.”
The Rathburns recently sold US Joiner LLC, a company they founded that specializes in outfitting the interiors of oceangoing ships.
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