In a unanimous decision on July 21, the Board of Trustees voted to rename the Irvin L. Young Memorial Library the Whitewater Public Library. This decision included input from community members who attended the last two library board meetings.
Library Board President, Jennifer Motszko, stated that “the decision to change the name from Irvin L. Young Memorial Library to Whitewater Public Library reflects our commitment to creating a more inclusive and welcoming space for all members of the Whitewater community. This new name better represents the library as a vibrant hub and gathering place for everyone in our town.”
It is important to the library board, library staff, and community that the Young name continues to be honored. A sign over the entrance to the existing library will read “Irvin L. Young Memorial Wing.” The original donor plaque will also be displayed in a prominent location in the library.
Library Director, Diane Jaroch, stated that “the name Whitewater Public Library conveys a sense of community and inclusiveness. We are a public, community space that is free for all to explore. The renaming of the library honors all of the donors who have contributed and all of our community members.”
The library building project is slated to be completed in early November 2025. There is still time to donate to the building project. Donations may be sent to the Whitewater Community Foundation at https://whitewatercommunityfoundation.org/donate/.
The Whitewater Public Library is located at 431 W. Center Street. More information about the library can be found at whitewaterlibrary.org.
Editor’s note: [Previously published on The Whitewater Banner.] Theological Seminary in Chicago. In 1940 he started the Snow Valley plant of Young Engineering in Palmyra. In 1954 he married Fern Drummond Jones of Chicago and established a home in his farm in the Palmyra area as well as retaining the Chicago home. Per his obituary, “He dedicated his life and income to the Irvin L. Young Foundation, a charitable foundation concerned mainly with the support of medical missionary work in Africa working through the board of 15 different denominations….Untold thousands of lives have been affected by the life and work of this one man.” Fern Young died in 2002. The Irvin L. Young Foundation made donations from its remaining assets of approximately $670,000 in 2019 and it was dissolved effective November 1, 2020.
The Whitewater Banner asked Library Director Diane Jaroch if she knew whether there were any stipulations connected to the foundation’s donation specifying how long the library was required to be named after Young. Jaroch replied, “I did do research before this idea was proposed, and there is nothing in the paperwork stating that we cannot change the name of the library. I also consulted with Stacey Lunsford, the former Director. I plan to present the board with information on the history of the naming rights in their June board packet, so they will have all of the pertinent information they need before the June 16 board meeting.”
Local historian Carol Cartwright indicated that newspaper articles from 1987 and 1989 reported that the Young foundation gave $500,000 toward the library with the stipulation that it be named after Irvin Young. She stated that nothing was said about the duration of the naming. Taking inflation into account, today’s value of that donation would be approximately $1,300,000. The library opened in 1991, so it has carried the Young name for 34 years. The Young Auditorium, which opened on the UW-Whitewater campus in 1993, was also constructed with donations that included significant assistance from the Young foundation.
The approximate $6 million addition and renovation currently underway is being funded by over $2,300,000 in donations, library reserves of $840,000 and a $3,000,000 commitment from the city.
