Librarian Leaves $1.1 Million Bequest to Curry 

The notes, flowers, and visits from former students continued long after Jane Iris Crutchfield (M.Ed. ’52) had retired as a librarian at Patrick Henry Elementary School in Arlington, Va. She was the kind of educator students remembered fondly well into adulthood—one who cared deeply about her students and who loved getting them interested in books.

Miss Crutchfield passed way in December 2006. Because she believed in the importance of education, she had directed one-half of her estate to the Curry School of Education. She believed her college education benefitted her throughout her life, and she wanted others to have the same opportunity she had enjoyed.

Miss Crutchfield left her bequest to the Curry School in memory of her mother, Janie Gammon Crutchfield, who had supported her daughter’s pursuit of education even through the Depression years. Miss Crutchfield possessed the foresight to make her gift without restrictions, so it could be directed to the area of greatest need. The Curry School and the trustees of her estate agreed that naming a faculty suite* in Bavaro Hall would address a top funding priority for the School and honor her mother while also recognizing Miss Crutchfield’s generosity.

Mary Kay Lanzillotta, a 1985 graduate of the School of Architecture, is a former neighbor of Miss Crutchfield’s and a co-trustee of her estate. “We think Miss Crutchfield would agree that providing the facilities to appropriately train and educate teachers is important,” she says.

Born in 1913, Miss Crutchfield earned a bachelors degree from Mary Washington College. She taught in Danville and Richmond, then earned a masters degree in education from the Curry School of Education. In 1955 she earned a bachelor’s degree in library science from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She saw her work as a librarian as an extension of her teaching. In her retirement, Miss Crutchfield enjoyed traveling abroad, gardening and, of course, reading.