History
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The Ralph E. and Helen Higgins FoleyCenter Library opened on September 1, 1992. The facilityis named in honor of Gonzaga alumnus Ralph E. Foley, who servedwith distinction as a Superior Court Judge in Eastern Washingtonfor 34 years and was a member of the faculty of the GonzagaUniversity School of Law, and his wife Helen Higgins Foley, aformer schoolteacher and the daughter of pioneer settlers. Judgeand Mrs. Foley's son, the Hon. Thomas S. Foley, representedWashington's 5th Congressional District in the U.S.House of Representatives for 14 consecutive terms and served asSpeaker of the House from 1989-1995. The four-level brick facility was designed byTan-Boyle-Heyamoto Architects of Spokane, WA in association withthe Architects Collaborative, San Francisco, CA, and was built byLevernier Construction Co. of Spokane, WA. The Foley Center is therecipient of numerous awards for library architectural designexcellence. |
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Crosby Library was dedicated asthe home to Gonzaga's main library on November 3, 1957 as amemorial to the Crosby family. The library, built at a cost of more than $700,000,wasmade possible through the efforts of Harry L. "Bing"Crosby. Itis a three story building with 33,464 square feet. When the Library moved to theFoley Center the building became the Crosby Student Center in1993. |
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The first library on Gonzaga'scampus was housed in the current Administration Building. FatherFrancis Monroe, in his capacity as prefect of the library, presidedover a rectangular room on the second floor measuring approximately50 by 22 feet. Many librarians would come and go over time. Thecollection was moved around as it grew, until it finally out grewthe available space. In 1947 Father Corkery discussed building aseparate building to house the library with Bing Crosby. |
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