1. A Grand Reopening

By Jessica Luck
October 28, 2025

About a decade ago, members of the Friends of Library Board of Directors, which traditionally met in the Boatwright Room in Washington and Lee University's Special Collections and Archives, started noticing significant challenges the space was facing. Dating back to the original construction of Leyburn Library in 1979, it simply wasn't built to meet the needs of a modern-day user.

The Friends of the Library, which supports the academic mission of Washington and Lee University through activities that strengthen the library's collections and services, has a long history of funding library improvement projects, including installing new patio furniture and electrical outlets in needed spaces as well as renovating the Northen Lobby. In 2021, George Ray, professor of English emeritus and then chair of the Friends of the Library board, championed the idea of making modest updates to the Boatwright Room. Ray, who gave the project's initial leadership gift, believes the renovation aligns with the group's mission to strengthen Leyburn for the W&L community and beyond.

"That was one reason why I wanted to give greater attention to Special Collections - so that the wider university community would become aware that Washington and Lee is rich in these materials," he says.

The group initially raised $150,000, which was matched by another $150,000 from the university. However, it soon became apparent that additional funding would be necessary to accommodate the growing needs of today's learning and research environment. Longtime member of the Friends of the Library group Theodore J. "Tad" Van Leer '77 was searching for a way to honor his father, the late Maurice Theodore "Ted" Van Leer '51, who was a generous benefactor of W&L and had earmarked a portion of his estate to support the university after his death in 2023. Ted Van Leer was a close friend of the journalist and novelist Tom Wolfe '51, and the two enjoyed a great friendship from their early days at W&L and throughout their lives. Tad Van Leer chose to designate his father's estate gift to support the $1.35 million renovation of the space, which he requested be named in honor of Wolfe.

"Tom Wolfe was a very critical thinker, a great observer and had a good sense of humor," Tad Van Leer says. "He was a great mentor and exemplified the W&L spirit. This gift honors the important relationships my father's friends at W&L had that lasted all their lives."

When Wolfe passed away in 2018 at the age of 88, his wife, Sheila, began receiving inquiries from museums and other institutions throughout the country that were interested in showcasing her husband's artifacts and belongings. After a conversation with W&L Special Collections and Archives staff, Sheila Wolfe began sending some of Wolfe's things to the university, including his typewriter, which was recently on display as part of the exhibit for the 75th anniversary of "Shenandoah," the literary magazine Wolfe helped launch as a student editor. Both Sheila Wolfe and Tad Van Leer worked closely with library staff during the room's renovation process.

In addition to the functional changes, the space was designed to honor Wolfe's legacy as a prominent intellectual and significant figure in 20th-century American literature. In consultation with Sheila Wolfe, the room was recast in Wolfe's signature colors, navy blue and cream, and the reference desk's shape, in the form of a parenthesis, mimics the style of Wolfe's personal desk. Various artifacts, letters and manuscripts will be on display inside the area, while a giclée portrait of Wolfe in his signature white suit is featured at the room's entrance as a defining visual element for the space; the original hangs in the National Portrait Gallery.

"It really is perfect to have his name attached to our reading room, because his nonfiction and fiction writing covers different genres," said Kim Sims, associate university librarian for Special Collections and Archives. "His work is eclectic, and we've got an eclectic mix in our collections. It's not just a one-stop shop; we've got a menagerie of subjects."

Functional renovations of the room support both the user research experience as well as serve to best preserve materials brought out from collections. Among the changes are a complete upgrade to the lighting systems, a new wood coffered ceiling and entry doors, comfortable, researcher-friendly seating, upgraded electrical and technological infrastructure, new shelving and casework, personal storage lockers, public-accessible computers and displays capable of handling presentations and highlighting digital collections.

"We've got the ability to do things in here that we couldn't do before," says KT Vaughan, the Hal F. and Barbra Buckner Higginbotham University Librarian. "I also think that the whole feel of the space is much more tied into who we are as a library, recognizing one of our notable alums and using the support of many of our wonderful alums and community members. People can come into the space, and the space does justice to the work that they're doing here.

"We have world-class collections for Special Collections and Archives that are really a cut above most of our peer institutions, and we did not have a space that reflected that. Now we do," she continues. "It's really lovely."

On Friday, Oct. 3, longtime library supporters, faculty, staff and alumni, including those in town for the Five-Star Festival reunion weekend, came together to celebrate the grand reopening and rededication of the Tom Wolfe '51 Reading Room. Many of those recognized for their leadership support for the project were in attendance, including Barbra Buckner and Hal F. Higginbotham '68, George Ray, Tad Van Leer and Sheila Wolfe (other key supporters not in attendance were Jane N. and Preston C. Manning Jr. '52, Alison and Jamie Small '81 and Ray's wife, Pree). Sims, Tad Van Leer and Sheila Wolfe cut the ribbon at the event.

"This is a really important space to the university and to the teaching and the scholarship that takes place here on campus," said President Will Dudley at the ceremony. "Many of our classes make use of the collections, the archives and the rare books and manuscripts that we have here in Special Collections - some of them that you would expect, like history classes and English classes, but also many classes you wouldn't expect, like geology and accounting. It's used by faculty across the whole curriculum.

"More than 500 visitors a year come to make use of our collections," he continued. "It's a very active space that contributes a lot to the university."