Graduates of the past change Carrier Library’s future

When Stan Jones (’54) enrolled at Madison College as a day student, he walked the sidewalks of his childhood from home to work, class and back home again. His daily route passed by the campus library, which quickly became his retreat. “I would go to the library to study and just relax,” Jones said. “I’ve always been fond of libraries.”

In the summer of 2023, JMU embarked on the Carrier Library renovation and expansion, a transformation to the heart of campus and the Madison Experience. Seventy years after graduating from Madison College, Stan Jones (’54) and his wife, Rosemary Hayes Jones, have named the brand-new wing of Carrier Library with a $2.5 million gift to the university.

Mary Marshall Gilmore McCormack (’50) graduated from Madison College with a degree in Education and was a member of Alpha Sigma Tau sorority. Prior to her passing in 2023, she was an avid supporter of various causes at JMU, including scholarship support funds and the Class of 1950 Endowed Library Collection Fund.

In 2024, McCormack's daughter, Joan Ferrill, made a generous gift to the university to name the iconic Carrier Library entrance as the McCormack Historic Entrance in honor of her late mother.

“The naming of these two library spaces — historic and modern — adds another chapter to JMU’s story.” — Bethany Nowviskie, dean of Libraries