A love of history and West Virginia University which has been a legacy within one Charleston family will now be memorialized through the Jack&Sheila Grimm History Library Endowment which was recently established at the WVU Foundation.
The impact of WVU and the Department of History has been profound upon my family, and I believe it is critical that we give back so that others may also share in our experiencesays Jack Grimm of his donation. The fund will assist in the acquisition of library materials to support the academic and research programs of the Eberly College of Arts and SciencesDepartment of History.
Jack Grimm, executive vice president of City Insurance, earned a bachelors degree in history in 1964 while his wife, Sheila, was busy completing a physical education degree in dance. Thirty years later, the Grimms watched their eldest son, Stephen, receive a bachelors degree in history from WVU .
Like his father, Stephen completed a tour of duty with the US Air Force before joining the business world. Their second son, Peter, is currently pursing a degree in history at WVU . In the future, WVU might see another history major from the family, which also includes two daughters and six grandchildren.
The proceeds from the Grimm History Library Endowment will assist the colleges Department of History with needed resources for faculty researchers and scholars. The endowment is another critical component to the universitys desire to maintain library collections that complement the institutions academic strengths so that all departments may remain competitive with other national research institutions. The Department of History is widely recognized as a leader in the field of Appalachian and labor studies, as well as American history and African history.
The Jack&Sheila Grimm History Library Endowment is included in the West Virginia Universality Foundations Building Greatness Campaign, which has raised more than $270 million for WVU and concludes in December 2003. The WVU Foundation Inc. is a private non-profit organization, which develops, receives, and administers private gifts from individuals and organizations for the benefit of WVU .