SUBJECT:

University Library Receives Major Gift/New Name

Audrey S. Geisel has given a substantial gift to the
University of California, San Diego Libraries. In keeping with
the donor's wishes, the full amount of the gift will not be
disclosed.

In recognition of the gift, UCSD's architecturally unique
University Library will be named Geisel Library in honor of
Audrey and her late husband Theodor Seuss Geisel, the world
renowned children's book author who wrote as Dr. Seuss.

"The UCSD Library is so right for Ted," Audrey explained.
"First, because literacy has always been our primary interest.
If we could conquer illiteracy, many of the other causes we
support to sustain people -- the abused, the homeless, and the
need for remedial education -- would, to some extent, disappear.
The Library is the symbol of our commitment.

"And the UCSD Library is especially suited for that role.
The first time Ted saw the form of that building he said to me
`If I had turned my thoughts toward designing a building, it
might have looked strangely similar to this.'"

UCSD Chancellor Richard C. Atkinson said of the gift,
"Audrey and Ted Geisel shared a love of learning, of words spoken
and written, of ideas and of books. This gift is a wonderful and
fitting testimony to their spirit." Referring to the library's
stunning architecture, he continued, "UCSD's University Library,
like the Geisel legacy, is unique. It is art and knowledge
brought together in a way that beckons curious and hungry minds.
The fit is perfect. The library is the center of UCSD's life; it
is well named as Geisel Library."

A native of Chicago, Illinois, and a graduate of Indiana
University, Audrey married Theodor in 1968 and has been a long-
time resident of La Jolla, California.

The President of Dr. Seuss Enterprises, Audrey is credited
with shepherding the expansion of the Dr. Seuss literary works
into an array of new communication enterprises. Through business
affiliations with major production companies and creative
artists, Audrey has made the Seuss characters and stories
available in feature films, animation, CD-ROMS, videos, and even
light opera. She has overseen the creation of a Dr. Seuss
clothing line and handles world approval rights for all uses of
the Seuss name and materials.

The author of 47 books as Dr. Seuss, and numerous others as
Theo LeSieg and other pseudonyms, Theodor Geisel also authored 10
television specials; a feature movie; tracts on the environment;
plus ideas for ballets, musicals and poems.

According to UCSD Librarian Gerald R. Lowell, "This
magnificent gift will be used to increase access to scholarly
information -- through both print and electronic resources. It
will also enhance our information literacy program, through which
students acquire the skills to access and use information
successfully, while at UCSD and throughout a lifetime of
learning."

Three years ago Audrey named UCSD the beneficiary of a $2.3
million collection of original material from the estate of her
late husband. That donation contained drawings, sketches,
notebooks, books, tapes, records and memorabilia generally dating
from the early 1970s through the early 1990s. Substantial other
material has been added to the collection since that time; UCSD's
Dr. Seuss Collection now reflects the breadth of his creative work
throughout his entire career.

Audrey's involvement in the community spans numerous
charities and organizations, including the National Hospice
Foundation; Charter 100; San Diego Zoological Society; Scripps
Clinic and Research Foundation; Mental Health Association; Voices
for Children; March of Dimes; the Ida Green Cancer Center; San
Diego Museum of Art; Museum of Contemporary Art, San Diego; La
Jolla Playhouse; Old Globe Theatre, and Mingei International
Museum. She has been awarded the Sixth Annual Humanitarian Award
from San Diego Hospice and the UCSD Chancellor's Associates
Distinguished Service Medal.

At UCSD, Audrey serves on the Board of Visitors of the
School of Medicine; the Cancer Center Board; is a Community
Advisor to the UCSD Medical Center Auxiliary; and is a member of
the Chancellor's Associates Silver Circle.

As the only major research library south of Los Angeles, the
UCSD Libraries hold more than two million items and accommodate
over one million users each year, including numerous San Diego
residents and businesses.

# # #

Contacts: Winifred Cox (619) 534-0363
Dolores Davies (619) 534-5994

University Librarian