In 1964, George Crompton Gordon made arrangements with WPI President Harry Purnell Storke for a bequest to his beloved alma mater. A Worcester native, Gordon earned his degree in mechanical engineering in 1895 before embarking on a successful career that included critical service to the Allied war effort during World War II. The largest single gift in WPI history at the time, his generosity allowed Storke to push forward his plan for a dedicated, central library that would be the crown jewel in the General’s campus revitalization plan. Storke envisioned a space where faculty and students could interact, away from the classroom, and share interdisciplinary ideas critical to the success of the WPI Plan. In that way Gordon Library has been ever evolving--the typewriters and phonograph players of yesteryear have made way for everything state-of-the-art digital.
Former library director Helen Shuster saw this transformation first hand. Shuster came to WPI in 1992 and for more than 16 years guided the transition of Gordon Library from a primarily print-based collection to a modern research hub replete with computer labs, an electronic discovery catalog, and multiple databases that could support the increasingly complex information needs of the campus community. As a parting gift to her beloved library, Shuster provided an unrestricted gift to create WPI’s first Digital Scholarship Lab. Dedicated in October 2018, the lab space features state-of-the-art digitization equipment, computers with a full complement of software, and Solstice networking capability. Shuster remarked, “the digital revolution really enhanced and changed the roles of the whole library.” The lab made possible by her generosity is the embodiment of that belief.
A college library is more than just a learning lab. It serves as a place to gain inspiration through exposure to new ideas. A place to challenge conventional thinking, to create, to regroup. The importance of inspiration in many forms is the heart of the WPI Plan, to merge schools of thought, to inspire and engage our campus community, to broaden the horizons of our minds and by extension the world. It is with this understanding that Rebecca Brenner worked with her close friend and founding director of WPI’s Metals Processing Institute, Diran Apelian to donate 73 sculptures crafted by her father, Drexel professor Bernard Brenner. Crafted of various metals, the sculptures are abstract yet each has an authoritative presence that evokes reflection and thought. The sculptures are currently on display in Gordon Library. In October 2018, a new display was installed to also highlight some of Brenner’s work with watercolors, ink, and colored pencils to further inspire library visitors. The WPI Plan has for 50 years provided a unique educational experience that combines cutting-edge scientific learning with a deep focus on the humanities and arts. Through two extraordinary and complimentary gifts, the Robert D. Fellman Collection on Charles Dickens and the Daniel and Alice Ryan Collection on Charles Dickens, our students have access to a world-class resource that comprises a major component of multiple learning opportunities via The Plan: Inquiry Seminars, IQPs and MQPs.
As Gordon Library embarks upon its next 50 years, we hope that many others are able to follow in the tradition of our namesake alumnus, our dedicated staff, and cherished friends to continue to support the legacy of generosity that benefits the entire WPI community.