As she speaks during the dedication ceremony for the Cohen Center for Kansas History, Dr. Mary Davidson Cohen raises a hand in recognition of community members who helped make the Cohen Center possible.

For more information, contact Darnell Holopirek, 620-792-9367. May 22, 2007 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Story by: Linda Dueser BCCC Foundation Dedicates Cohen Center at College/Chamber Event The Barton County Community College Foundation celebrated the completion of the new Cohen Center for Kansas History with a dedication ceremony May 18 hosted in conjunction with the Great Bend Chamber of Commerce “After Hours” event in the college library.   At the event attended by chamber and community members, the foundation acknowledged the generosity of Barton P. and Dr. Mary Davidson Cohen, the Leawood couple who donated their collection of Kansas history books and funded the newly constructed Cohen Center now located in Barton’s library. In keeping with the Kansas theme, a meal of buffalo burgers and fixings provided a flavor of the Kansas prairie for those who attended the dedication.

Dr. Mary Cohen and her husband, Bart, spent 17 years collecting the Kansas art and books they donated to the college. The collection includes more than 700 books, one dating back to 1849 and more than 40 predating 1900. Bart died in December 2006 after a brief illness, but was able to see the Cohen Center become a reality in the fall of that year.
            As guest of honor for the dedication, Dr. Cohen had special words to say about the collection and the college as the place she and her husband chose to house their books.
“What is the benefit of something like this – all of these old books and enjoyment on our part?” she asked rhetorically. “The benefit is for the past because we have helped to preserve it, for the present because we have helped (people) learn about our great state, but most of all, for the future. In providing for the college, we have helped provide for the future of Great Bend and that’s very important.”
As part of its commitment to the Cohens for donating the Kansas history center, the college promised to update its library with a much-needed renovation. The foundation has taken up this responsibility by seeking private donations for a $2.8 million library renovation project.
“The donor wall in the library serves as a tangible recognition to all who donate to this much needed renovation,” said Darnell Holopirek, Barton’s executive director of institutional advancement. The Tree of Knowledge sculpture on the wall bears the names of all who donate from $500 to $29,999. In addition, individual wall sculptures will recognize those who stepped up and took advantage of naming opportunities within the library, in amounts ranging from $30,000 to $100,000. Names of those donating less than $500 will be displayed on a recognition plaque beside the donor wall sculpture.
“There truly is an opportunity for everyone to participate,” Holopirek said. “Regardless of their level of giving, all who donate will become part of guaranteeing a quality learning resource center for future generations of our area.”
Several naming opportunities for the library remain, and anyone wishing to donate or receive more information may contact Holopirek, 620-792-9367.
Many people have already responded with donations. They see the need for updating the library when they realize the facility hasn’t changed since the college began almost 38 years ago, Holopirek said.
 Dr. Cohen encouraged her audience to take this opportunity to give. “By giving back to a community that gave to you and to me and to Bart, we provide a legacy from the present to the future, as it says on your tree,” Cohen said. “When we provide for this college and this community, we know we aren’t going to be here, but we will own a part of the future.”