From the Harvard Crimson:
Widener Library was dedicated in memory of Harvard graduate Harry E. Widener, Class of 1907, in 1915 when his mother earned naming rights to the building after a donation of nearly $2 million and 400 books—a gift that Sarah E. Thomas, vice president of the Harvard Library, called the “nucleus” of the library system. Widener died aboard the Titanic in 1912.
The library officially opened on June 24, 1915, coinciding with the College’s 264th Commencement Day.
At the centennial event, Thomas lauded the progress that Widener had made in its first century, including allowing women into the library and building upon Harvard’s library system to include a network of libraries encompassing multiple schools.
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MUCH more about the Widener Library in, “At 100, Widener Opens Its Arms Wider” (via Harvard Gazette)
See Also: History of the Harry Elkins Widener Memorial Collection, Online Exhibition
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