Inaugural UGA Libraries award presented to Barrows

This story, written by Camie Williams, was originally published on UGA Today on Dec. 5, 2024.

A new award named after the University of Georgia’s legendary head football coach Vince Dooley and his wife Barbara honors those who share another passion with the beloved family — support for the UGA Libraries.

The Vince and Barbara Dooley Friends of the UGA Libraries Award has been established to honor the Dooleys and their impact on the libraries. The first recipients are another couple who have long-standing ties supporting the instruction, research, and service goals of the library system: Craig and Diana Barrow.

“Coach Dooley was truly one of the biggest fans and supporters of the UGA Libraries, which he once described as ‘the life support system for the university,’” said university librarian and associate provost Toby Graham. “We are so grateful for his and Barbara’s support, and we can think of none more deserving of the inaugural Dooley Award as Craig and Diana Barrow.”

The Dooleys established the Libraries’ first and largest endowment, now worth more than $5 million. The couple served on the Libraries Board of Visitors and were frequent supporters of initiatives and activities. With Barbara Dooley’s blessing and the approval of UGA President Jere Morehead, the award was established to celebrate individuals who — like the Dooleys — make a difference in the lives of students, faculty, and the university community through their support of the UGA Libraries.

Craig and Diana Barrow, both UGA graduates from the class of 1965, are the owners of Wormsloe, a coastal Georgia site of singular historical, ecological, and archaeological significance originally settled in the 1730s by Craig’s ancestor Noble Jones. In 2012, the Barrows arranged for the Wormsloe Foundation to donate 15 acres to become the Center for Research and Education at Wormsloe (CREW) administered by the UGA Libraries. The pair and the Wormsloe Foundation also established the Wormsloe Fellows, a student field research program administered in partnership with UGA’s Graduate School. The Barrows led fundraising to build the Experiential Learning Center to accommodate CREW’s activities, dedicated in 2023.

“Through the Barrows generosity and leadership, Wormsloe has become a living laboratory for discovery and learning by students and faculty from across the university,” Graham said.

Craig and Diana Barrow were the founding chairs of the UGA Press Advisory Council, leading the council for 20 years and playing a major part in cementing the Press’ reputation as a publisher of excellent scholarship of regional, national, and global importance. In addition, the UGA Press has published more than a hundred works with the support of the Barrows and the Wormsloe Foundation – works on the natural world and history that have helped to educate the public on many key aspects of Georgia and the Southeast. Like CREW, the Press is a division of the UGA Libraries.

The Barrows led the Libraries’ Board of Visitors early in its existence, a body that played a key role in private fundraising to build UGA’s state-of-the-art Russell Special Collections Building, dedicated in 2012.

“Given the historical connection between Wormsloe and the UGA Libraries,” said Graham, “it is particularly fitting that the Barrows have helped to take our special collections work to a new level in the 21st century.” Craig Barrow’s ancestor Wymberly Jones De Renne amassed the most important private collection of books and manuscripts on Georgia at Wormsloe. The De Renne Library came to UGA in 1938, forming the cornerstone of UGA’s now-massive special collections and archival holdings.

“The Barrow family and Wormsloe have a long history with UGA, but Craig and Diana have transcended that legacy – transforming their relationship with the university and its Libraries into something Craig’s forebears could have scarcely imagined,” said Graham in presenting the Dooley Award to the Barrows at a reception held in the original 1907 De Renne Library building at Wormsloe.

“Our decades of working with the UGA Libraries have been extremely rewarding and enjoyable. We are deeply honored to be the inaugural recipients of this very special award and thank our many friends at the Libraries,” the Barrows said in a statement.

Barbara Dooley added, “I’m thrilled that Craig and Diana Barrow have been acknowledged for their service and generosity. The Libraries and history meant so much to Vince, and I am very pleased that our names are associated with this award.”

The Barrows received a plaque recognizing them as the inaugural recipients of the Dooley Award, and a duplicate plaque will hang in the exhibition gallery of the Hargrett Rare Book and Manuscript Library in the Russell Special Collections Building.