Office of Public Affairs
(315) 312-2265
Oct. 16, 2003
CONTACT: Michele Reed, 312-5489
NEW PENFIELD LIBBARY CAFE DEDICATION OCT. 25
OSWEGO -- SUNY Oswego will dedicate its new cafe in
Penfield Library at 1:30 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 25. The event will be open
to the public free of charge.
The dedication will take place on the first floor of
the library, and a reception will immediately follow.
The library cafe cost $150,000 to construct and was
made possible by two sets of donors. Dr. Jack and Marion Narayan
originally made their $75,000 gift anonymously and only revealed their
identity as the dedication ceremony neared.
Their gift was a challenge grant, offered to help
the library find another donor to support the other half of the cost.
Lester Gosier, a native of Oswego and a 1937 graduate of the college,
took up the challenge and made his donation in memory of his wife,
Carolyn Heath Gosier.
In all, Gosier pledged $100,000, with the remaining
$25,000 serving as a challenge grant to inspire someone else to support
the college.
"That way we can carry on the tradition, and maybe
from this two people will get the idea that we have a fission going
on," said Gosier, who spent 40 years teaching high school physics.
"From one branch comes two and from two comes four and so on."
Jack Narayan is dean of graduate studies and
director of the Office of Research and Sponsored Programs at SUNY
Oswego. His gift is based on his family's long connection with the
college. "The entire family has benefited from our being at Oswego," he
said.
A science teacher at Oswego Middle School, Marion
Narayan completed her master's degree in education at SUNY Oswego in
1981. On Sunday mornings, the Narayans and their three sons would
bicycle around campus. Now grown, Darren, Dwayne and Drew were
motivated by professors at Oswego to pursue math and science fields on
which they based their careers.
"The library cafe will facilitate learning out of
the classroom where students will have the opportunity to collaborate
with others and reflect on their learning," Jack Narayan said.
The space at the southeast corner of the library's
main floor features floor-to-ceiling windows looking at the site of the
future Campus Center and the main pathway traversed by students and
faculty. Sculpted drop ceilings float overhead while carpeted areas
alternate with sleek tile floors underfoot. The 3,000-square-foot space
includes three seating choices: traditional tables, tall bistro style
arrangements, and comfortable couches and chairs for more relaxed uses.
A variety of coffee drinks and pastries are for
sale, provided by Auxiliary Services. Racks of popular newspapers and
magazines are available for browsing, and CNN plays for those who
prefer to get their news on screen. The cafe is home to a
wireless-computing environment and library patrons can check out
laptops.
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