Surprise bequests, totaling more than $1.6 million, fueling Aiken County Public Library improvements

AIKEN — Prior to her death in 2023, Kathy Petty included in her will bequests totaling more than $1.6 million to the Friends of the Aiken County Public Library and the Aiken County Public Library.

She didn’t ask for any recognition, but the Friends and the library’s board of trustees held an event Oct. 3 at the information and media center on Chesterfield Street to celebrate Petty’s life and legacy.

The Friends received a nearly $700,000 gift from Petty, and the library received $950,000, which can be used for its benefit or to upgrade other Aiken County public library facilities.

Petty didn’t tell the Friends or the Aiken County Public Library’s leaders before she died that she was planning to make the bequests.

After being notified and learning about the size of the gift to the Friends, “we were blown away,” said the organization’s president, Marilyn Palladino. “We were in total shock.”

Mary Jo Dawson, who is the director of the Aiken-Bamberg-Barnwell-Edgefield Regional Library System, described the Aiken County Public Library’s share of Petty’s money as a “terrific surprise.”

Petty had been a “regular user of the library, but we had no idea, no expectation that we would receive such a generous gift,” Dawson said.

The Friends, with the help of Dawson, made an effort to find out more about Petty because her obituary was short and their knowledge about her was limited.

Many had never heard of her.

“It was a mystery” that the grateful Friends were eager to solve, Palladino said.

They learned a lot, including that Petty worked at the Savannah River Site as did her father, Fred. She also was a former employee of the Aiken Standard and The Augusta Chronicle.

Petty’s mother, Hazel, served as the manager of the New Ellenton branch library.

“I can’t prove it, but I expect that her (Petty’s) generosity, in part, was a memorial to her mother, at least in Kathy’s mind,” said Thurmond Whatley, who was Petty’s friend.

He also wrote for the Aiken Standard when Petty was on its staff.

“Features editor, I think was her key position,” said Whatley, who is the Aiken Community Theatre’s executive director.

He remembered Petty as “lots of fun” because she had a “good sense of humor.”

Petty also had a “beautiful singing voice” and “could find her way on a piano pretty nicely,” according to Whatley.

She was an accomplished writer and graphic designer, and she performed in theatrical productions and with the Aiken Choral Society.

In addition, Petty competed in horse shows.

“She had multiple talents,” Whatley said. “She tackled a lot of different things and did them all really, really well.”

Whatley especially was impressed by Petty’s devotion to her mother.

“When her mother was ill, she pretty much brought her into her home,” Whatley said. “She was really kind to her, which was expected, but some people might have gotten tired of having a parent that close all the time. As far as I could tell, she never did, and I really respected her for that.”

The Friends have a detailed plan for using their bequest from Petty, and some upgrades and purchases already have been completed.

Petty’s gift and Capital Project Sales Tax money from a public-private partnership with Aiken County government are making the following projects at the Aiken County Public Library possible:

• The renovation of bathrooms to make them compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act.
• The refurbishment of the kitchenette.
• New landscaping-related efforts that include the planting of flowers and the construction of a walkway between the library and the playground at Aiken Library Park.
• The installation of new carpeting and lighting on the second floor.
• The installation of new stair treads and railings to improve access to the second floor.
• The installation of a sink in the Creative Lab.

Funds from Petty’s bequest are being used to purchase 32 new book carts, new Circulation Room storage cabinets, new outside book and media drop boxes, a new four-sided juvenile book display case, new benches and new laptop tables.

Money from Petty also is making possible new amenities in the Creative Lab such as two additional tables and eight chairs, a sink and a stow-and-show closet.

A newly renovated display case on the second floor is another upgrade being funded by Petty’s bequest.

“To say we’re happy is an understatement,” Palladino said. “A gift like this is so important, especially as the library continues to grow and receive more and more patrons every day.”

As for Petty’s $950,000 donation to the Aiken County Public Library and the branch libraries in Aiken County, “we’re just beginning to wrap our heads around this generous gift,” Dawson said. “We haven’t put any specifics to our plans yet, but her generosity will allow the library board of trustees and staff to improve our spaces and ensure that everyone who walks through our public library doors has the opportunity to grow, learn and connect. Her legacy will be forever a part of our library system’s story.”

Collaboration with Aiken County government to help cover the cost of some efforts with Capital Project Sales Tax funds is a “very strong possibility,” according to Dawson.