FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 17, 2010
Contact: Anika Mitchell Perkins
(662) 329-7124
aperkins@pa.muw.edu

Substantial military history collection donated to Fant Memorial Library at MUW

COLUMBUS, Miss. – The first installment of an extensive military history collection recently arrived at Mississippi University for Women.

The gift consists primarily of military books and military unit histories from World I and World War II made possible through Andy Murray Coffey and his wife Katherine and son Glenn H. Coffey, all of Lafayette, La.

Cathy Young, MUW reference/information literacy librarian and assistant professor, said, “The Coffey’s generosity has touched the Fant Memorial Library once again by the donation of an extensive military collection that will be much sought after by researchers, students and patrons. Because Mr. Murray wanted people to be able to access this information, he chose to put it where it would be cataloged to be available and utilized by the public.”

Two other collections were recently donated to MUW by the family, including a large assemblage of works by alumna Eudora Welty and a portion of William Faulkner’s collection.

According to Young, the military collection by far is Andy Murray Coffey’s largest, which he has been amassing since he was a little boy.

MUW President Claudia A. Limbert said, “We are excited to be receiving this gift from the same donors as the Welty and Faulkner collections. This valuable collection will be of great use to military scholars or anyone interested in military history.”