Supporting Student Research

As an undergraduate at Carolina, John Britton ‘65 worked part-time at Wilson Library shelving books. All the sorting and stacking got Britton deeply familiar with the library, and he enjoyed being immersed in the bookshelves of Wilson as he sifted through the library’s collections.

Britton, now an emeritus professor at Francis Marion, was the recipient of a scholarship while at Carolina that paid for one-third of his tuition. He has long thought about how he could repay the University for that scholarship, and he has also frequently remembered the value of having the access to resources that the library afforded him.

This year, Dr. Britton established an estate gift to the UNC-Chapel Hill Department of History that will fund academic research opportunities for both undergraduate and graduate students. Recipients will be able to access funds to conduct historical research such as exploring library archives or traveling to examine historical documents.

“My goal is to help students have an experience similar to what I had,” Britton said. “I want to help create a situation where young people can just explore and enjoy the environment that exists on campus. I think that’s when you are able to open your mind and see things that you might not if you are in a course and focused on a deadline for a test or a paper.”

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