Library love

By Jeff Hill |

A sunlit hallway with black and white checkered flooring at the University of Virginia leads to a doorway. Benches line the walls under large windows. An inset shows a plaque dedicated to Michael F. Barry and Lee Barry, mentioning their connection to the University as Col '89 graduates.

Valentine’s Day is over, but we’re still celebrating love here at the Library — featuring Lee and Michael Barry, who met at the University in the 1980s and graduated from the College together in 1989. In celebration of their time together, the Barrys endowed a bench at Shannon Library, ensuring a permanent legacy on Grounds, where their relationship began. We asked the Barrys to take a sentimental journey and share a little bit about their story (and their book recommendations!) with us.

A series of three images. The first shows two black and white yearbook photos. The second is a wedding photo with two people smiling, one in a wedding dress, the other in a morning suit. The third image is a selfie of two people outdoors with a glacier and mountains in the background.
Over the years: Michael and Lee Barry (then Lee Newman) in the 1989 “Corks and Curls”; the Barrys on their wedding day; and a recent photo.

From the Barrys

“We met at UVA almost 40 years ago in a religious studies class at the start of our third year. Over the next two years, we spent countless hours talking — first getting to know each other and then falling in love — with UVA as the backdrop.

“On a recent visit to Charlottesville, we reminisced at many cherished sites — the steps of the Amphitheatre, the path around Observatory Hill, Newcomb Hall, the Rotunda’s Dome Room. The magnificent renovation of Shannon Library, however, presented us with a new favorite UVA location. 

“We chose to endow a bench in a hallway bathed in natural light, hoping visitors to Shannon Library will take time to stop and relax. Possibly, they will engage in a conversation. And if they are blessed (as we have been), perhaps those conversations will continue for decades to come.”

The Barrys’ go-to book recommendations

Lee: Jane Austen’s “Pride and Prejudice”

Michael: Kazuo Ishiguro’s “The Remains of the Day”

A long, elegant hallway with large windows on the left, casting natural light onto a floor of checkered tiles. Wooden benches line the walls, and spherical ceiling lights hang above. The hallway leads to a bright open area with tables and library shelving.
Lovers’ Lane? The bench endowed by the Barrys is in the foreground of this photo of the light-filled bridge between Shannon Library’s Memorial Hall and the fourth floor stacks. The inscription on the plaque reads “The benches at the University of Virginia — Places to find knowledge, truth, faith, and purpose … and, if one is particularly fortunate, a lifetime love.”

Naming opportunities

Are you interested in supporting the Library with a gift celebrating a legacy or in honor or memory of a loved one, friend, or mentor? From chairs, tables, and carrels to rooms or other spaces, there are still unreserved naming opportunities in Shannon Library. For more information on making a lasting impact, reach out to Kelly Graham, UVA Library Director of Development, at kdo7wm@virginia.edu.

Subscribe to get UVA Library News in your inbox

Browse by category