U. Of South Carolina Library Gets $1 Million Gift

Staff -- Library Journal, 3/8/1999

Thomas Cooper Library on the campus of the University of South Carolina, Columbia, has just received a gift of $1 million from retired cardiologist Dr. C. Warren Irvin Jr. and his wife, Josephine Brown Irvin. A lifelong interest in books and an enjoyment of USC's library led to the couple's decision, Warren Irvin said. The current gift marks the Irvins' second major contribution to Thomas Cooper Library. In 1997, they donated an extensive collection of Charles Darwin books and research materials, which contains 120 volumes, including first editions of Darwin's On the Origin of Species (1859) and The Descent of Man (1871). They also contributed $25,000 to create an endowment to develop and maintain the collection.