A gift of 277 books from the personal collection of Calvin B. Rock, former president of Oakwood University, has been added to Pacific Union College’s Library. “Dr. Rock was an avid student of history and politics, with a particular interest in the impact of protest and reform,” says Eric Anderson, Director of the Walter C. Center for Adventist History. “His gift strengthens what was already a good collection on civil rights and African American History.”
Rock, who continues to be active in retirement, served the church in variety of roles, ranging from a pastor and evangelist to vice president of the General Conference. An experienced educator, he was president of Oakwood for 14 years and chairman of the board of trustees at Loma Linda University.
“These books will make a difference in students’ lives,” says Anderson. “They won’t just sit on the shelves.” Pacific Union College has a strong emphasis on undergraduate research, he adds.
Rock has been a speaker in PUC’s lecture series on civil rights—an event created in honor of former president Percy Christian and former academic dean John Christian, educators with a life-long commitment to equal opportunity.
“We are always grateful for meaningful donations to the PUC Library collection such as this. I have no doubt that PUC students will benefit from the important material these books contain. Having these books physically part of the collection makes it more likely they will be discovered and used.” – Patrick Benner, PUC Librarian.