Laurel Ridge Community College Library

New Best Sellers at the Fauquier Campus library

"This Vast Enterprise: A New History of Lewis and Clark" by Craig Fehrman

"Purple State" by Dana Perino

"Paradox" by Douglas and Aletheia Preston

"The Mother-Daughter Book Club" by Susan and James Patterson

This week, we look back at our second college president, Dr. Marilyn C. Beck, who passed away on May 7th at the age of 86.

Dr. Beck served as the college’s second president from 1988 to 2003. While founding president Dr. William McCoy is credited with establishing the college, Dr. Beck’s 14-year tenure marked a period of remarkable growth and transformation. Under her leadership, the college evolved into a comprehensive community college, expanding beyond a traditional liberal arts curriculum to include high-demand, career, and vocationally related programs that better served the needs of students and the region.

Dr. Beck was instrumental in broadening access to higher education across the service area. Most notably, she oversaw the development and opening of the Fauquier Campus in 1989 and later the construction of Wolk Hall. Her tenure also included the gift of 20 acres of property in Middletown from the estate of Garland Snapp which now holds the Student Union Building, the establishment of the Warren French Telecommunications Center during the rise of distance learning, and the creation of a learning lab in the Middletown library.

A skilled fundraiser and grant writer, Dr. Beck significantly strengthened the college’s financial foundation. She not only secured funding but also mentored her team in grant writing, resulting in at least $35 million in state and federal grants during her presidency. These funds supported curriculum enhancement, faculty development, student success initiatives, endowment growth, facilities, and institutional effectiveness. She also led the effort to secure a $500,000 federal Title III endowment grant, successfully raising the required $250,000 in matching funds alongside Foundation board members.

Dr. Beck built and engaged a highly effective Educational Foundation board, with whom she helped raise millions of dollars for scholarships, capital improvements, and the college endowment. During her leadership, the Foundation supported numerous successful events, including the Hart Gala, Dollars for Scholars gala, truck parties, and the Shrimp Feast. Funds raised also supported the college’s first architectural master plan and led to the launch of its first major gift campaign in 1993, which helped fund scholarships and the community cultural center in Middletown—now known as the Corron Community Development Center.

Her commitment to the arts enriched campus life in meaningful ways. Through grants and partnerships, including one with the Corcoran Art Gallery in Washington, D.C., students gained increased exposure to the fine and performing arts. Highlights included a Carnegie Hall grant piano, a year-long artist-in-residence program, and use of the library atrium as a community arts gallery.

Colleagues remember Dr. Beck’s attention to detail and pride in maintaining beautiful campuses, including securing grants for landscaping improvements such as trees and shrubs. They also fondly recall her personal touch—sharing her homemade pecan tarts with legislators, colleagues, and community members. It is estimated that she baked and gave away more than 3,000 tarts during her time as president.

After leaving Virginia in 2003, Dr. Beck returned home to Alabama, where she went on to serve as the fourth president of Calhoun Community College in Decatur. Under her leadership, Calhoun grew to become the largest community college in the state, serving more than 12,000 students by 2010.

For more than 50 years, Dr. Beck devoted her life to education, inspiring countless students, faculty, and staff to believe in themselves and embrace the joy of learning and teaching. Her career was defined by her deep commitment to students, her passion for excellence, and her ability to bring people together in service of a shared vision. Dr. Beck will be remembered for her extraordinary leadership, her generosity of spirit, and the lasting impact she made on Laurel Ridge Community College and the broader higher education community.

We extend our deepest condolences to her family, friends, and all who had the privilege of knowing her. Her legacy will continue to inspire generations to come.

Did you know it’s summer reading season? ☀️ From May 15th to August 15th, you can earn points for every summer read, giving you the chance to win a gift card to one of our local indie bookstores!

Catch up with our previous summer readers, their favorite summer reads, and what they love about summer reading!

Summer Reader: Paula Conrad

What’s your favorite book you’ve read as part of the summer reading program?:
The Women by Kristin Hannah

What do you enjoy about the summer reading program?:
I love reading but the Laurel Ridge Summer Reading list helps push me to try new books. I read some great books as a result of the Summer program.

What was the last book that you couldn’t put down?:
Never Lie by Freida McFadden

Want to read one of Paula’s picks? Here’s what we have in the library catalog:
The Women: https://tinyurl.com/3cz8p8e9

New Best Sellers at Laurel Ridge libraries

"Mad Mabel" by Sally Hepworth

"A Woman's Place" by Danielle Steel

"The Auction" by Sadie Kincaid

"The Future is Peace: A Shared Journey Across the Holy Land" by Aziz Abu Sarah and Maoz Inon

When we opened in 1970, we would have a class on just about anything to get people through the door, as evidenced by our bowling class, seen here in this early ‘70s photo

Did you know it’s summer reading season? ☀️ From May 15th to August 15th, you can earn points for every summer read, giving you the chance to win a gift card to one of our local indie bookstores!

Catch up with our previous summer readers, their favorite summer reads, and what they love about summer reading!

Summer Reader: Whitney Roy

What’s your favorite book you’ve read as part of the summer reading program?:
I'm a comfort reader, so I tend to just reread my favorite books over and over again.

What do you enjoy about the summer reading program?:
What's not to love about reading books all summer long and getting to have a pizza party with your friends to celebrate? It's basically the adult version of the Pizza Hut reading program, except you're not limited to a personal-sized pizza.

What was the last book that you couldn’t put down?:
I'm a huge audiobook fan, so I'm currently loving the new full-cast versions of the Harry Potter series. The musical score, sound effects, and incredible cast of voice actors bring the story to life in a way that almost feels like reading it for the first time.

Want to read Whitney’s picks? You can find them in our library catalog:

Cuckoo’s Calling: https://tinyurl.com/5995zh97
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone: https://tinyurl.com/mrjrw25k

New Best Sellers at Laurel Ridge libraries

"Here Where We Live is Our Country: The Story of the Jewish Bund" by Molly Crabapple

"Bloodsinger" by Juliette Cross

"Concrete Botany: The Ecology of Plants in the Age of Human Disturbance" by Joey Santore

"Yesteryear" by Caro Claire Burke

"Hope Rises" by David Baldacci

"Go Gentle" by Maria Semple

"Upward Bound" by Woody Brown

"Magic the Gathering: Strixhaven; Omens of Chaos" by Seanan McGuire

"The Faith of Beasts" by James A. Corey

"Revenge Prey" by John Sanford

"London Falling: A Mysterious Death in a Gilded City and a Family's Search for the Truth" by Patrick Radden Keefe

It has been a rainy week here in the Laurel Ridge service region. Although we were lucky enough to have clear skies for our commencement ceremonies, some of our partner high schools have not been so lucky. This week’s from the college archives takes us back to one of our more challenging commencements in 2022 as Nursing faculty member Elizabeth Marshall dons a poncho for the march.

Laurel Ridge awards professor emeritus and staff emeritus honors ‣ Laurel Ridge Community College Laurel Ridge Community College recently bestowed emeritus status on three retired staff members and two retired professors.

Who's ready for some summer reading? Laurel Ridge Small Business Development Center is hosting the Local Author Summer Reading Expo June 23, at the Middletown Campus. Learn more at https://buff.ly/5nRybn3