Library columns [2003 : September, v.4 : no.18]

°77г° Library 41 COLUMNS September 2003 Vol. 4 No. 18 I'HF LNI\TRSrm> vim lAKHUNA GREENSBORO Martha Blakeney Hodges' Family Pledges $1 Million for Jackson Library By Dan Nonte, University News Service HP I wo children of former North Carolina first Lady Martha JA_ Blakeney Hodges have pledged the largest gift ever to Jackson Library at The University of North Carolina at Greens¬ boro - SI million to endow the Special Collections and University Archives. The department housing the thousands of rare books, manuscripts and other materials will now be known as the Martha Blakeney Hodges Special Collections and University Archives. Martha Blakeney graduated from the State Normal and Industrial College, now UNCG, in 1918. She married Luther Hodges, who became governor and served in the cabinet of President John F. Kennedy, and she was the first chairperson of the Friends of the Library. Two couples - Chcray and Luther Hodges Jr. of Chapel Hill and Donald and Betsy Hodges Bernard of Durham - each pledged $500,000 for the gift. Luther Hodges Jr. and Betsy Hodges Bernard are children of the former governor and first lady. Chancellor Patricia Sullivan announced the gift at the annual Friends of the Library dinner. "This is the most generous gift ever made to Jackson Library, and it recognizes one of the great first ladies of North Carolina," Sullivan said. “Martha Blakeney Hodges’ children loved her dearly, and they arc honoring her memory with a fitting tribute that will support our library as an important scholarly resource for many years to Luther Hodges, Jr., Cheray Hodges and Chancellor Sullivan The gift will allow the library to expand and preserve its collections; undertake special projects, such as gathering oral histories; and provide greater access to scholars by converting more books and documents to digital formats. serves undergraduate and graduate students, on campus and at a distance,” said Library Director Doris Hulbcrt. After graduating from the State Normal and Industrial College, Martha Blakeney, a native of Monroe, taught at Lcaksvillc High School and served as chairperson of the history department at Greensboro High School. She married Luther Hodges, a young textile executive with the department store Marshall Field and Company, and returned to Leaksville in 1922. During the Depression, she helped teach the children of the town’s mill families. With the support of his wife, Hodges became vice president of Marshall Fie Id’s and general manager of its manufacturing division. Together they raised three children. “My mother was the most influential person in my life, and I find myself quoting her often,” said Betsy Hodges Bernard. "Without any pretense, she was an honest, ‘tell-it-like -it-is’ person, very loving and caring. She was the proverbial woman behind a successful man.” Luther Hodges was elected lieutenant governor in 1952 and became governor two years later when Gov. William B. Umstcad died. Hodges was elected to a full term in 1956. As first lady, Martha Blakeney Hodges supervised the redecora¬ tion of the Governor’s Mansion and the care of its grounds. Reserved and shy of publicity, she was an advocate for literacy "This gift is a gift to all of our students, since Jackson Library (Hodges, coni in ued on page 4)