Family’s legacy creates library’s first endowed chair

On a university campus, libraries are much more than the place where books and historical documents are stored. They serve as a gathering place for students as they prepare for an exam, a quiet spot to conduct research or a place to study with fellow scholars.

The Edith Garland Dupré Library on the University of Louisiana at Lafayette’s campus is no different, providing students with access to information since the early days of the university.

Now, thanks to a family legacy started by one alumnus, the library has received its first endowed chair.

The Duhon Family/Board of Regents Support Fund Endowed Chair in Librarianship was made possible by the generosity of the Estate of Andrew Duhon, Dr. James Griffin, Jr. and Tiffany Griffin Pontiff.

The family’s gift created an endowed chair with $600,000, to be matched by $400,000 in state funds, resulting in a $1 million endowment.

The road to the endowed chair began many years before on the campus of what was then the Southwestern Louisiana Institute (SLI).

The family’s history with the University began with Grace O’Bryan Duhon, an Abbeville, LA native who attended SLI. During Grace’s time as a student, she studied education and became a public school teacher for 40 years. She and her husband, Andrew C. Duhon, Sr., later became successful business owners, which were passed on to their two children.

Together, Grace and Andrew raised a family with strong ties to UL Lafayette. Today, the Duhon family boasts 10 UL Lafayette graduates from four generations, spanning over 100 years of attendance.

When the family decided to honor Grace as an educator, they chose to establish the Duhon Family/Board of Regents Support Fund Endowed Chair in Librarianship to recognize the gift of learning she passed down to subsequent generations.

The endowed chair will specifically provide support to the faculty librarians, which in turn strengthens the services it offers to students during their academic journeys.

“The library supports an R1, top tier [research] university,” Dr. Brian Doherty, dean of University Libraries, said. “We’re working towards a budget that matches and supports the University’s level of research and teaching, including expansion of our doctoral programs. This endowment helps us in that way.”

Thanks to the endowed chair, the family’s wish for the library to remain a place where students learn and connect with those in other academic disciplines has become a reality.