On March 2nd, the J. Willard Marriott Library celebrated it’s 50th anniversary to a crowd of over 200 students, community members, donors, & more. The event featured remarks from President David W. Pershing (University of Utah), Dean Alberta Comer (Marriott Library), Saeed Shihab (ASUU Vice President), and featured special speaker: Richard E. Marriott (Chairman of the board for Host Hotels & Resorts).

The highlight of the event was the announcement of a $5 million gift from the Marriott Foundation. Richard Marriott spoke about his father J. Willard Marriott, Sr., founder of the Marriott Hotel empire – now the largest in the world. Mr. Marriott talked about how his parents, U students who frequented the library that was then located in the George Thomas building on Presidents Circle. They first owned a root beer stand and then a restaurant chain called “The Hot Shoppes” before finding their way into the hotel industry.

The celebration brought many from the community, including Craig Wirth, reporter & U professor, who covered the anniversary in the Good4Utah series, “Wirth Watching.“ The various speakers shared their experiences and memories of the library through the years.

For those who were unable to attend, here’s a link to the recording of the event HERE. And, you can read about the 50^th Anniversary Keepsake HERE .