It is not unusual for honor organizations to have charitable projects. But a project that is 7,300 miles and two continents away?
The Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University chapter of the National Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi is conducting a book drive to help rebuild a once spacious and internationally renowned central university library that was destroyed by ISIS terrorists in June 2014.
To date, hundreds of books have been collected and will be sorted and sent to Mosul, Iraq by the ERAU honor society.
For example, the Prescott Habitat for Humanity ReStore contributed hundreds of books, which will go overseas. “What a tremendous way for people in the Quad Cities area, through our Habitat store, to help those unfortunate victims who have had their educational opportunities taken away,” said ReStore Manager Patrick Holt.
Another major contributor was Prescott Valley resident Marilyn Wall. She is the wife of the late Douglas J. Wall, a former ERAU board member and the attorney who negotiated the sale of the Prescott campus in 1977 to Jack R. Hunt, who was president of the Dayton Beach, Florida, ERAU campus. Wall also was later the president of the Arizona Board of Regents, the governing body for the three state universities.
“I and members of my family, who so believe in education, are honored to be a part of something an organization at ERAU is doing to benefit those who lost their educational resources.”
She contributed dozens of books from their professional and personal library.
Books in Any Language, Genre Accepted
One of the drive organizers, James Gulliksen, a graduating ERAU senior with a degree in Global Security and Intelligence Studies, says the United Nations considers the sacking of the vast Mosul facilities to be “…one of the most devastating acts of destruction of a library collection in human history.”
Thus, the ERAU Honors Students Association is collecting books of any language and any genre to send.
Those who would like to donate books can take them to three drop-off locations at ERAU: the ground floor under the stairs of Hazy Library, the Student Union front door area or the first floor of the Academic Complex near the center of campus.
Large donations of books that need to be picked up can contact Gulliksen at gullksj@my.erau.edu to make such arrangements.
Assisting with the charitable project is the ERAU Honors Student Association, coordinated by Dr. Anne Boettcher, director of the Undergraduate Research Institute and Honors Program. Boettcher also is president of the local Phi Kappa Phi Honor Society chapter.
Financial contributions to help cover costs of shipping the books to Iraq may contact Dr. Jonathan Gallimore at gallimoj@erau.edu or 928-77-3941.
The ERAU chapter of Phi Kappa Phi belongs to the nation’s oldest and most selective all-discipline collegiate honor society. It was installed last November following a rigorous review of the university academic program to ascertain that it met and exceeded stringent academic standards.
Membership, by invitation only, is extended only to the top 10 percent of seniors and 7.5 percent of juniors. Top graduate students may also qualify, as well as faculty, professional staff and alumni who have attained scholarly distinction. QCBN
By Ray Newton, QCBN
Photo Captions:
Prescott Habitat for Humanity ReStore Manager Patrick Holt helped Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University students Jonathan Strang, a sophomore from San Antonio, Texas, and Chace Carlson, a senior from Snoqualmie, Washington, load hundreds of books contributed from Habitat bookshelves. The books will be sent from ERAU to Mosul, Iraq, to help restock a formerly world-class library that was destroyed in 2014 by ISIS terrorists.
Photo by Ray Newton