Retired Professor Honors Late Life with Library Legacy

Richard Van Dongen and his late wife, Barbara, dedicated their careers to education. Richard was a professor at the University of New Mexico and Barbara was an Albuquerque Public School teacher and librarian who sadly passed away in 2016. Richard, who’s now retired, wanted to make sure Barbara’s passion for books kept shining bright, so he just made a heartwarming $100,000 donation to Albuquerque Public Schools.

The money is going toward creating the “Van Dongen Books Kids Want to Read Fund” — and it’s doing exactly what the name says. Instead of just buying standard textbooks, this cash gives school librarians the green light to stock up on the good stuff — popular literature, graphic novels, and the latest nonfiction books that students are actually excited to open.

Thanks to the donation — and the passion for reading shared by Richard and Barbara — kids in Albuquerque will be able to turn the pages of impactful books for years to come.