About the Library
1898-1952
North Greenville's first library was located upstairs in the back wing of the school's second,
"T"-shaped administration building. It was housed directly above the
gym/auditorium, the sound from which sometimes made studying in the library
quite difficult. Marion Bunts, a part-time
professor, was the school's first professional librarian.
1954-1974
When the school built its third Administration building, the library was moved
to the downstairs section. In 1947, Edith Sayer became the first full-time librarian. In 1958, the library officially
became known as the
Hester Memorial Library. In
1969, due to its increasing size, the library expanded to include
the upstairs as well.
1974-1998
The library moved into the Averyt Learning Center as
depicted in this architect's drawing. This was the first
building dedicated exclusively to the library.
1998-Present
The library currently exists as Hester Memorial Library inside
the newly renovated and expanded Averyt-Wood Learning Center Building.
Reverend Henry Clayton Hester was the principal of North Greenville Academy from 1919 to 1928. When the fate of North Greenville was uncertain due to a loss of state funding in 1924, Reverend Hester stated "that he personally would accept the challenge of saving the life of an institution so needed, so loved and dedicated to the progress of the Kingdom of God in our state." From that point on, Reverend Hester received no pay for his work at North Greenville and even accepted church work to help pay teachers' salaries. Once state funding was restored, Hester felt that his job at North Greenville was done and returned to the pastorate he had held before coming to North Greenville.
Henry Jacob Howard, From These Roots: The Story of North Greenville Junior College, 1892-1967 (Tigerville, SC: North Greenville Junior College, 1967), 53-54, 63,
