The Linfield College Board of Trustees voted to rename Northup Hall in honor of T.J. Day, a 1971 Linfield graduate and the most significant donor in the history of the college, according to President Thomas L. Hellie.
His lead gift set the stage for the current renovation of Northup which was vacated seven years ago when the Jereld R. Nicholson Library opened. A college trustee since 1972, Day serves as chair of Linfield’s Campaign Committee and has worked tirelessly to transform the former library into a new academic center for the Departments of Business, Economics, English and Philosophy; the Center for the Northwest; and the Writing Center. Support of the Northup renovation is only the latest in a series of major gifts made possible by Day and his family.
Linfield will continue to recognize the legacy of Emanuel Northup, beloved professor, dean and interim president of Linfield, and mayor of McMinnville, Hellie said. From the beginning of the renovation project, the college planned to recognize Professor Northup’s contributions and the building’s history as a library. Current plans for memorializing the Northup name in the renovated building include an exterior plaque with a history of the building and identification of Professor Northup as well as the historical interior plaque on the fireplace mantel in the south reading room.
“It is fitting that the Board voted to recognize T.J. for his many contributions to the expansion, development and growth of Linfield College, while still acknowledging the significant contributions that Emanuel Northup had in the early, formative years of Linfield,” Hellie said. “While generations apart, both men are giants in the life of Linfield College.”
The board overwhelmingly approved the renaming of the renovated Northup Hall to recognize the transformative impact that Day has had on Linfield College for nearly 40 years. He has long been an energetic advocate for student educational experiences inside and outside the classroom. Over the years, he and his wife, Debbie, have made many personal contributions to the college. Day’s contributions have added inestimably to the improvement of Linfield College through projects that include the renovation of Riley and Walker Halls and Michelbook House, construction of the Rutschman Fieldhouse, and creation of the Nicholson Library and Vivian A. Bull Music Center. A successful businessman and civic leader, Day also sits on the board of the W.M. Keck Foundation, one of the nation’s largest philanthropies. Grants from the Keck Foundation have provided Linfield College with science equipment, expanded the faculty in computer science, helped establish the Center for the Northwest, and aided the college’s expansion to property previously owned by Hewlett-Packard, now known as the Keck Campus.