What do you get when a retired university professor accidentally stumbles across your campus as he drives down U.S. Route 41?

"Love at first sight!" according to Dr. Bill Jervey, Jr. who's decided to spend his remaining time and money on what matters most to him-giving back to his community.

Dr. Jervey, who grew up in Hawaii, found he fancied the library more than the beach. It was here that he developed a deep-seated passion for reading biographies, such as John D. Rockefeller's. The most influential, by far, in his life was the biography of Andrew Carnegie who he says gave away 90% of his wealth before he passed away and supported more than 2,500 libraries.

Crediting libraries with his reason for being and where he is today, Dr. Jervey has spent his life going out of his way, and sometimes miles, to visit them. As a former political science professor, he loves higher education and specifically visiting college campuses and their libraries.

He's resided in Venice, Florida for more than 10 years and had never set foot on the SCF Venice campus until one day he saw the sign and followed his longtime tradition of paying it a visit. His first impression was SCF Venice's estuary lake that he says, "blew him away," and as an environmentalist he loved that SCF had made it the "heart of the campus."

Once on campus, he made his way to the library and found himself adoring the overall architecture with its soaring ceilings, exposed support beams and second floor retro cafe style seating. In all his visits, he's never seen a library quite like it. Over the next couple of years, Dr. Jervey would spend more time at SCF Venice and SCF's other two campuses, and getting to know SCF staff, faculty and administrators-who he describes as wonderful in every respect, well-educated and innovative with great ideas.

And he would know. He researched and studied the 28 Florida state colleges and deems SCF, especially SCF Venice, as the most innovative. Impressed by the responsiveness of the college's programs, including the newly opened Collegiate School, Weekend College and Gator Engineering, he predicts you won't be able to recognize the campus in 20 years due to its growth.

Considering his newfound love of SCF, his passion for libraries and his personal philanthropic philosophy to "give until it hurts," Dr. Jervey made the single largest gift in the SCF Foundation's history.

A $130,000 capital capstone gift to SCF Venice's Gator Engineering Den and at the time of Dr. Jervey's estate proceeds, two designated funds at Gulf Coast Community Foundation will be created. These unrestricted funds will continue his legacy by supporting SCF's new and emerging needs, scholarships for SCF Venice students and/or SCF's Venice Collegiate School projects and programs.

In February 2019, SCF and the community came together for a Celebration of Appreciation for Dr. Jervey. During the celebration, it was unveiled that the SCF Venice Library was renamed to the Dr. Bill Jervey, Jr. Library and the lake that first blew him away was dedicated in his honor as "Lake Jervey." Dr. Jervey was also given plaque recognition in the Gator Engineering Den for his capstone gift.

Among those who spoke at the event, SCF President Dr. Carol F. Probstfeld noted that words could not begin to express the College's gratitude for the legacy Dr. Jervey was leaving and how humbled she was to understand the depth of his belief in SCF.

SCF Foundation Board President, Mike Fuller, described the gift as transformative, citing capital fundraising as one of the main goals of the Foundation and the most challenging. To Dr. Jervey he said, "Visionaries, like you, helped start our college over 60 years ago, and your generosity and gift today will propel it for many generations to come. Thank you!"

Dr. Jervey, joined by his three sisters and their families, and one of his oldest and dearest friends, was overwhelmed declaring it was the "proudest day of his life!" He shared the story of how it was love at first sight for he and SCF Venice, his high regards for the college and thanked those that helped him get to know SCF.

With all, he also shared his admiration for Andrew Carnegie who he quoted, "Any man who dies rich, dies disgraced."

And he's holding himself accountable. Dr. Jervey has been very generous to the Venice community, supporting the Lord-Higel House in Venice, the Venice Historical Society Circus Train Car restoration and the Venice Area Beautification Inc.'s Urban Forest. At the time, his other most recent donation was to the Sarasota County public library system for which he has another library named in his honor, the William H. Jervey, Jr. Venice Public Library.

Dr. Jervey's parting words to those celebrating his gifts to SCF, "If the worst thing they can say about me when I meet my maker is, 'he tried to be Florida's Andrew Carnegie,' I will die a very honored and happy man."

SCF hopes that's so and knows one thing for certain-

"His generosity will create pathways to education and prosperity for generations of SCF students who may otherwise not have had the opportunity to seek a higher education," according to Dr. Probstfeld.

After graduating from Riverview High School in Sarasota in the early 1970s, George Barthalow was left with a difficult decision regarding college.

George was planning to immediately attend a full four-year university, but his father suffered a massive stroke shortly after graduation, putting the family in a difficult financial situation. He did some soul-searching, decided to stay local, and attend Manatee Junior College (MJC) to affordably obtain his associate degree and be close to his family.

"MJC provided me with a security blanket that I wouldn't have gotten elsewhere," says George. "It was almost like an extended family for me as I furthered my education."

Manatee Junior College was established in 1957 by the state of Florida to provide more affordable options for people seeking higher education beyond high school. When George attended in the early 1970s, it was home to less than a thousand students. As MJC continued to grow and expand its operations, in 1985 its name changed to Manatee Community College. Fast forward to 2009. The school changed names again to its current title-State College of Florida, Manatee-Sarasota (SCF)-and began offering students the opportunity to obtain bachelor's degrees for the first time.

"SCF provided me with a very strong academic foundation for my future success. Back then we were charged a flat rate of tuition per semester, and we could take as many classes as we wanted. So instead of paying per credit hour, we paid one affordable fee. I would load up and take at least 18 credit hours a semester."

In addition to finding success in the classroom, George found plenty of success in other areas of college life at MJC as well. He was an active participant in the debate and speech teams and formed tight mentorships with several members of leadership at the school. He was elected Student Body President, met the board of trustees, and worked directly with Dr. Samuel R. Neel Jr., the first president of the college.

To help with the cost of tuition and day-to-day life, George applied for and received multiple scholarships while attending MJC. The Hereford Scholarship was given to students who participated and excelled on their college's speech team. This specific scholarship covered the entirety of George's tuition. He was also awarded the Selby Foundation Scholarship each semester at MJC, which helped pay for gas, books, food, and other daily necessities. The Selby Foundation provides renewable scholarships for students who demonstrate maturity, grit, and resilience in the face of adversity. He also received a scholarship directly through the college to help with expenses.

Upon graduating from MJC with his associate degree, George went on to attend the University of Florida to obtain his bachelor's degree. He continued his education at the University of South Florida and received a master's degree in the field of guidance and counseling. He began working as a counselor for the state of Florida and worked his way up to managerial positions in a short time.

"My time studying at MJC was a nurturing environment for me. The professors really cared and wanted to help as much as they could. It wasn't like attending a massive university with 30,000 students and getting lost in the crowd. It gave me the confidence I needed to keep learning and furthering my education."

George wanted to continue that for other students just starting their higher education and eventually found himself back at the place where it all started. In 1993 he began teaching part-time at Manatee Community College as an adjunct professor. Today, George still teaches part-time at the college, known now as SCF.

Through his work with the state of Florida and SCF, George was able to invest his earnings and build a portfolio that allowed him to consider the possibility of becoming involved in philanthropy. He decided to establish a legacy fund that will provide scholarships to students beginning their higher education at SCF.

"I started thinking about what to do with some of the money I've saved. After carefully thinking it over, I decided I really wanted to make a difference in the lives of others in my community. I thought the best thing I could do is leave a legacy scholarship and help other students that started out like me. Maybe some of these students are strapped financially. If I could help make their first step easier, it could open a lot of opportunities for them."

This scholarship will take effect after his passing. It will be named The George A. Barthalow Endowed Scholarship Fund, and it will help students reach their higher education goals generation after generation.

Despite attending three different colleges, George chose SCF for his philanthropy because it always felt like home. As both a student and adjunct professor, he felt like he made a family with his fellow students and professors. He recalls a time where things came back to him full circle, and realized he made an impact on others.

"I was working in my full-time job as an area supervisor and all of us were away at a training conference in Orlando. I walked into one of the meeting rooms and was getting ready to take notes on the presentations when someone came up from behind and tapped me on the shoulder. I looked around and recognized her as a student I taught eight or nine years earlier. I stood up and she hugged me, and then she thanked me. She said, 'It is because of you that I'm here.' Come to find out she was a supervisor working for the state of Florida, just like me. She took my Career Explorations class and that's when she decided to go into counseling. That blew me away. I actually made a major difference in this woman's life."

George will continue to teach part-time at SCF and hopes to continue to make a difference in the lives of students at the same campus where it all started for him in the 1970s. An amazing journey indeed for a caring and generous person who will leave an inspirational legacy.