Washington and Lee University
Walter J. “Bud” Maytham III ’52 has fond memories of the W&L library. “When I was a freshman at W&L, the library was a very different place. It was more similar to my local library, but the big difference was that I could go back into the stacks myself and browse through them. They weren’t off limits like they are in most libraries. We could take out as many books as we wanted, for as long as we wanted.”
Maytham, who celebrated his 80th birthday this year, is well aware of the importance of keeping up with the pace of change. A veteran of the New York publishing industry, in the area of professional and reference books, he said, “It is necessary to keep at the forefront of knowledge and how it is disseminated.”
With this in mind, he and his wife, Donna have included a bequest in their estate to fund The Walter J. and Donna C. Maytham Endowment, to assist the University libraries with new initiatives in information accessibility and changing technologies. The bequest will aid the library in implementing technological enhancements in all aspects of the University’s academic program.
“Things in education are happening so fast,” said Maytham. “When I came back to visit last year, the changes in the library just floored me. It amazes me how the library is being used now. We don’t know how it will be used in the future, but I want to help it keep ahead of the pace in the information area. I wanted to give back to W&L because of the job they did with me. We have to support the school in order to carry on the tradition here.”
To join the Maythams in making a planned gift in support of Washington and Lee, contact Hank Humphreys or Louise Wasserott at (540) 458-8421, or by e-mail at ahumphreys@wlu.edu or lwasserott@wlu.edu.