{"id":14737,"date":"2019-02-13T08:02:43","date_gmt":"2019-02-13T08:02:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/library.udel.edu\/news\/?p=14737"},"modified":"2021-05-11T22:44:12","modified_gmt":"2021-05-11T22:44:12","slug":"a-legacy-in-the-library-generations-of-love-and-learning","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/library.udel.edu\/news\/2019\/02\/13\/a-legacy-in-the-library-generations-of-love-and-learning\/","title":{"rendered":"A Legacy in the Library: Generations of Love and Learning"},"content":{"rendered":"

Article by Allison Ebner | Photos by Sean Diffendall<\/em><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

When James P. Lewis earned his master of business administration from the University of Delaware in 1976, life was different than it had been during his undergraduate education 22 years earlier. A Vietnam veteran, husband and father of four, James had new priorities and life experiences, but pursuing education remained essential.<\/p>\n

During his graduate studies, James would come study at the Library on a regular basis with his family in tow. For hours at a time, they\u2019d sit together in the stacks\u2014studying, working and browsing the children\u2019s literature section. For the family, it\u2019s a cherished memory that fostered their love of learning.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt would be a cold winter night and we would walk over,\u201d Howard Lewis, James\u2019 oldest son, said. \u201cI could tell you exactly how the doors [of the Library] sounded, what it smelled like, felt like. It was impactful to me as a child.\u201d<\/p>\n

Local to Newark, Howard recalled how this early interaction with the Library shaped his later habits. \u201cWe lived here in town and, from that point forward, I\u2019d come over here to study,\u201d Howard recalled. \u201cWhen I was in high school, I\u2019d come here to study … I\u2019ve earned my master\u2019s and my [doctorate], and libraries were always a place I could go. And it all started here.\u201d<\/p>\n

James\u2019 other three children\u2014Dyane Carrere, Brian Lewis and Jennifer Frasher\u2014hold a similar affinity for libraries and the quest for education. Graduating with their bachelor degrees from the University of Delaware, the three Blue Hens each hold a master\u2019s degree as well.<\/p>\n

\"James

James and Ann Weldin Lewis cutting the ribbon at the ceremony for the Lewis Group Study Room.<\/p><\/div>\n

\u201cMy wife always said to the children, \u2018You get your education. No one will ever be able to take that away from you,\u2019\u201d James explained. \u201cThey\u2019ve done me proud.\u201d<\/p>\n

It\u2019s clear that pride goes in both directions. Recently, the Lewis children made a gift to establish an endowed scholarship for veteran students at the University, and named a group study room on the first floor of Morris Library in honor of their father, James, and mother, Ann Weldin Lewis, a UD graduate from the Class of 1957.<\/p>\n

The group study room now stands as a testament to the support and guidance James and Ann provided their family of learners.<\/p>\n

But it\u2019s not the only place on campus you\u2019ll see the Lewis name. On a brick wall outside the UD Barnes and Noble Bookstore, you\u2019ll find a plaque that honors James\u2019 ancestor, Albert Gallatin Lewis, who previously owned the land where the bookstore stands today. In fact, Albert owned the land between Academy Street and South College Avenue, up to Main Street and down to East Park Place, which means he owned the land where Morris Library stands as well.<\/p>\n

Maps showing the land once owned by Albert and his family are part of the official Lewis Family papers within Special Collections. The papers also highlight correspondence, land deeds, checks and mortgages of the Newark-based farming family.<\/p>\n

\"James

James Lewis pointing to his picture in the Blue Hen yearbook.<\/p><\/div>\n

When James and family visited Morris Library in November 2018 for the group study room ribbon-cutting ceremony, they had the opportunity to explore the papers and dive deeper into their roots.<\/p>\n

Joined by his wife and four children, James also got to share this time in Morris Library with the next generation of the Lewis family\u2014his grandson, Dylan Frasher.<\/p>\n

Dylan, an engineering student in UD\u2019s Class of 2021, is no stranger to Morris Library. He is, after all, a Lewis. He studies in the Library all of the time, and spoke with pride about the reservable group study room that now bears his family\u2019s name.<\/p>\n

While James may not bring his kids in to study anymore, this beloved family memory is aptly preserved through a group study room\u2014a room that extends their support beyond family and to all learners within the University community.<\/p>\n

Did Morris Library play a role in your life? Do you have a special memory or nostalgic moment from your days\u2014and all-nighters\u2014here? We want to hear your story! Email lib-stories@udel.edu<\/a> with your name, class year and brief story summary, and we\u2019ll be in touch.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Article by Allison Ebner | Photos by Sean Diffendall   When James P. Lewis earned his master of business administration from the University of Delaware in 1976, life was different than it had been during his undergraduate education 22 years …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":22,"featured_media":14763,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[4,1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-14737","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","category-uncategorized"],"acf":[],"publishpress_future_action":{"enabled":false,"date":"2026-07-01 12:33:11","action":"change-status","newStatus":"draft","terms":[],"taxonomy":"category","extraData":[]},"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/library.udel.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14737","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/library.udel.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/library.udel.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/library.udel.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/22"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/library.udel.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=14737"}],"version-history":[{"count":12,"href":"https:\/\/library.udel.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14737\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":16039,"href":"https:\/\/library.udel.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14737\/revisions\/16039"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/library.udel.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/14763"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/library.udel.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=14737"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/library.udel.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=14737"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/library.udel.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=14737"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}