KENNESAW, Ga. | Mar 13, 2017

Library namesake’s son gives $30,000 to support library resources for students

Kennesaw State’s Lawrence V. Johnson Library on the Marietta Campus received its first endowment, a $30,000 gift from Jane and Ralph Johnson, the son of the library’s namesake.

“This gift will help to keep our collections up to date and enhance student learning,” said David Evans, dean of library services, who oversees both the Johnson Library at the Marietta Campus and the Sturgis Library at the Kennesaw Campus.

The endowment will be used to acquire, supplement and maintain books, databases, subscriptions and other materials for the Johnson Library. This is only the second endowment to the libraries at Kennesaw State.

Ralph Johnson and his wife, Jane, are interested in what takes place at the Marietta Campus because of his late father. In 1998, the library was named for Lawrence (Larry) V. Johnson, who served as the first director of The Technical Institute, a two-year technical college, which has since evolved into Kennesaw State’s Marietta Campus.

“When the library was named in honor of my dad, I thought it would be appropriate to also establish a program that would provide funding for library documents, magazines or other publications or activities that might not be covered by the normal budgets,” said Johnson. “I hope we can continue to increase the endowment to the level necessary to have a significant impact on students at the old SPSU campus.”

Ralph Johnson earned his bachelor’s degree in physics from Georgia Tech and a graduate business degree from Georgia State. He began his career at Lockheed Martin in Marietta, before moving to Huntsville, Alabama, then Seattle, Washington and finally the Washington, D.C., area where he has now retired after a career in the aerospace field.

The Johnsons are familiar with giving to the University. In 1999, they started an endowment fund to benefit the student competition teams at then Southern Polytechnic State University. That endowment, named to honor both of his parents who were devoted to the success of then Southern Tech, has grown to $443,000. 

A leader in innovative teaching and learning, Kennesaw State University offers undergraduate, graduate and doctoral degrees to its more than 45,000 students. Kennesaw State is a member of the University System of Georgia with 11 academic colleges. The university’s vibrant campus culture, diverse population, strong global ties and entrepreneurial spirit draw students from throughout the country and the world. Kennesaw State is a Carnegie-designated doctoral research institution (R2), placing it among an elite group of only 7 percent of U.S. colleges and universities with an R1 or R2 status. For more information, visit kennesaw.edu.