Lisa and Dave Steele on a trip to Montreal
Clemson alumnus Dave Steele spent many hours in Cooper Library as a student. He wasn’t always there to study, though — Steele was a student employee. He credits the job, which he started in his sophomore year, with setting him on a path for success to graduation and beyond.
Now Steele and his wife, Lisa, are giving back so that today’s students can benefit from working for the Libraries. They have given $100,000 to establish the Dave ’76 and Lisa Steele Annual Student Library Assistant Fund to help the Libraries hire more student assistants.
“I am incredibly grateful to the Steeles for this generous gift,” said Clemson Libraries Dean Chris Cox. “The Libraries could not operate without our student employees. They do so much to help ensure we can provide the best possible resources and services to our campus community. It is also a great opportunity for students to gain hands-on experience in the workplace without ever leaving campus. This gift will help us give even more students that opportunity.”
“My job at the library was very meaningful to me and, in retrospect, very important,” said Steele. “We thought that if we could direct a gift that might help other people have the same experience, then in the future, maybe they would also be motivated to pay it forward.”
Steele worked for the late Marian Withington, who worked as a reference librarian for more than 30 years. He described her as a “wonderful lady” who made a big impact on his life, which was one of the reasons he wanted to make this gift.
“She gave me encouragement when times were rough, gave me guidance as I applied to grad schools, and celebrated with me when offers came in. She was my resident aunt!” Steele said.
The Steeles’ daughter followed in her father’s footsteps — though not at Clemson. She attended the University of Alabama, where she was also a student assistant in the library.
Clemson Libraries employs more than 80 students each semester, making it one of the largest student employers on campus. Students help with everything from shelving books to manning the services desk to digitizing materials to helping in the Adobe Studio and Makerspace.
The Steeles met at the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill, where Lisa was a student in psychology. Dave was working towards his MBA at Duke after graduating from Clemson in 1976 with degrees in history and economics. Lisa went on to earn a master’s degree in speech pathology from the University of Louisville and spent her career as a speech pathologist. Dave spent the first 12 years of his career in marketing and advertising before becoming a financial adviser with Edward Jones Investments.
The two are now retired and live in Murrells Inlet, where they spend a lot of time golfing, going to the gym, and traveling. While this is their first major gift to the Libraries, they have been annual donors to Clemson Libraries for 42 consecutive years. Read more about Dave Steele in this donor spotlight profile.