From the Vice Provost and Dean - October 2018

Hello Friends,

As we mourn the untimely passing of Paul G. Allen, we also reflect on the transformative impact he has had on the University of Washington Libraries over the last three decades. In 1988, his visionary gift (the largest received by the UW from a single donor at the time) augmented the construction of the Allen Library named for his father, Kenneth S. Allen, who served as associate director of the libraries. His philanthropy also established the Kenneth S. and Faye G. Allen Library Endowment in memory of his parents.

Each day, thousands of students visit the Allen Library and engage in interdisciplinary work in the ground-breaking Research Commons or feast on the archival and rare materials in our internationally significant Special Collections. Every student, every faculty member, every discipline and the extended scholarly community have benefitted from the world-class collections, innovative programming and award-winning staff enabled and supported by the Allen Endowment. Paul’s generosity allows us to advance research for the public good through Open Access initiatives as well as acquire information resources from around the world.

The cumulative power of the Allen Endowment has made what had always been a very good library a great library. We are grateful for Paul’s unbridled support and his love of libraries and learning. His interests knew no bounds. His early trust in the UW and the Libraries leaves an unparalleled legacy that will be felt by the academic community for generations.

~ Lizabeth (Betsy) Wilson