The family of the late Jane and Branton Houser recently donated $20,000 to Jefferson College’s library on the Hillsboro campus.
The Housers, who had lived in Hillsboro, had a special connection to the college, said their granddaughter, Carrie Greer, the college’s director of admissions.
She said her grandmother, in particular, made a mark at Jefferson College.
“This is just part of the family legend,” Greer said. “(Jane) was the first nontraditional – adult – student at Jefferson College. It was in the ’60s. She went to the college while it was being built. She took college classes at Hillsboro High School. She took classes on campus, as well, as it was being built. She was a student worker in the library and later worked in the library for a time (after graduating).”
Greer said libraries were important to both Jane and Branton.
“My grandparents were huge proponents of higher education,” Greer said. “My family chose to donate the funds from my grandparents’ trust to the library specifically because Brant and Jane were ardent supporters of public libraries, especially the De Soto Public Library and the Jefferson College Library.
“My grandfather especially was a voracious reader, and they both loved dropping by the college to discuss books and current events with our director of library services, Lisa Pritchard. Our family sent the donation in care of Lisa, as a mark of the high esteem my grandparents held her in. “
Greer said both her grandparents considered attending Jefferson College, but did not have the funds for both to go to the institution.
“She wanted it more, so he stepped aside and let her go,” Greer said. “She got her associate of arts degree from Jefferson College and went on to get a bachelor of science degree from UMSL (University of Missouri-St. Louis).”
Branton died at 93 in November and Jane died at 99 in December, Greer said. They were married for 72 years.
“Jane created a scholarship fund at Jefferson College years ago,” Greer said. “It’s the Jane Houser Endowment Scholarship.”
Greer’s sister, Brenna Young, also works at Jefferson College, as coordinator of retention services. Their mother, Barbara Flesh, also worked at Jefferson College a couple different times in the past.
“Our other sister, Ellen Miller, teaches at Mineral Area College,” Greer said. “We all found our way into education.”
College President Dena McCaffrey announced the donation at the April 22 Board of Trustees meeting.
She said the donation is appreciated.
“The family decided that because the library was so important to both of them, but especially Jane, they wanted to make the donation to the library,”
McCaffrey said.
Blake Tilley, executive director for the Jefferson College Foundation, said the $20,000 Houser family donation was not part of the foundation’s fundraising Re-Imagined Capital Campaign to help fund $5 million in renovations that were completed at the library in 2018.
“(The Houser family donation) is a gift to be used for the library,” Tilley said. “It was more a gift for the family’s passion for the library.”
The Library Re-Imagined Capital Campaign ended for the most part in the spring of 2020, although the foundation still would accept donations toward the project, said Daryl Gehbauer, the college’s vice president of finances and administration.
He said the fundraising campaign was a success.
“The foundation’s campaign raised $1,134,000. It’s goal had been to raise $1 million to $1.5 million.
“It was a $5 million project. Getting $1.1 million was definitely a plus for us.”