menu
Skip to main content
FeaturedNews

Remembering Maxine Wallin, librarian, Friend of the Libraries, and philanthropist

By May 17, 2023September 16th, 2023No Comments

We at the University Libraries were saddened by the April 2 death of Maxine Jessup Houghton Wallin, a University graduate, a librarian who had worked at Walter Library, a Friend of the Libraries, and a philanthropic leader who has made significant contributions to the University of Minnesota.

Maxine Wallin, right, browses through historical materials at the opening of the Maxine Houghton Wallin Special Collections Research Center on May 13, 2018. With her are her son Lance and Kris Kiesling, Director of the Libraries Archives and Special Collections.

Maxine Wallin, right, browses through historical materials at the opening of the Maxine Houghton Wallin Special Collections Research Center on May 13, 2018. With her are her son Lance and Kris Kiesling, Director of the Libraries Archives and Special Collections.

As noted in the Star Tribune obituary, Wallin was “intellectually curious and always anxious to learn, joyful in her engagement with books and ideas and the people who liked to talk about them. She had an impressive knowledge of history and seemed to know something about almost everything.”

Her passion for libraries and learning was reflected in a $1.5 million gift from the Wallin Foundation to the University Libraries. It provided funding for a research, classroom, and exhibition space located on the ground floor of Elmer L. Andersen Library. This space, named the Maxine Houghton Wallin Special Collections Research Center, opened in 2018.

“The Wallin Center has been transformative in our services to researchers and in our ability to engage students in courses from across the University and beyond with rare and unique materials,” said Kris Kiesling, Director of Archives and Special Collections.

We offer our condolences to Maxine Wallin’s family. A celebration of her life will take place on June 3, 2023. Details can be found in the Star Tribune obituary linked above.

Karen Carmody-McIntosh

Author Karen Carmody-McIntosh

More posts by Karen Carmody-McIntosh

© 2024 Regents of the University of Minnesota. All rights reserved. The University of Minnesota is an equal opportunity educator and employer.
Privacy Statement | Acceptable Use of IT Resources