Taylors see value, impact in their gifts to library

Mike and Alice Taylor have been steadfast supporters of ECU Libraries since they graduated from East Carolina University during the 1970s.

When they contribute financially to Academic Library Services funds, like with a recent $25,000 pledge as part of Pirate Nation Gives, they often think about how students will be impacted. Mike Taylor likes to use the analogy of a stone and a body of water when describing this process.

“Having seen students, older students in particular, come to college and find a new career, it impacts on their lives,” he said. “It’s a little bit like a scholarship. A scholarship not only helps the recipient, but it impacts on so many people. It’s kind of like a stone skipping across a pond or a lake that creates a lot of ripples. That’s what we believe the library does is it creates a lot of ripples. That helps in seeing East Carolina University and its development, growth and impact on eastern North Carolina.”

Mike and Alice Taylor are firm believers of ECU partly because their roots have been in eastern North Carolina since birth. They were both born and raised in Lenoir County.

ECU alums Mike and Alice Taylor.

They love to see similar stories to theirs of people embracing the region and benefits of ECU and its main campus library.

MIke Taylor was an integral part of the the patrons wall celebration and reception and annual Friends of the Library spring meeting as a past president and election as secretary/treasurer.

“Both of us were educators in our careers, so we know how important it is to have a great library to go and study,” Alice said.

“That is what can lead to success and lead toward graduation,” she continued. “We felt that was a great way to pay it forward, and for us to pay it back as well.”

In a video message, Alice also said she is proud to be part of continued support for the library.

Mike had a message specifically about being in the Friends group: “It is a great group. We’re a small group. Anyone can be a friend of the library. We encourage recent graduates or people like us to consider being a friend of Joyner Library. We do a lot of things for the library where there are not state funds to provide for. Without the support of groups like the Friends, then those things don’t happen or it’s a real struggle to make that happen. I would just encourage everybody who has an interest in East Carolina University to consider being a friend of Joyner Library.”

The sixth annual Pirate Nation Gives fundraising event on March 23 totaled more than $8.4 million pledged to ECU, surpassing last year’s then-record of $6.5 million and this year’s goal. More than 1,500 individual donors contributed to the effort. The $25,000 gift by the Taylors was listed among notable gifts.