I had the pleasure of attending the dedication ceremony for Thomas Jefferson Hall, Cadet Library and Learning Center at West Point on September 24th. This new state-of-the-art library was 11 years in the making from inception to completion. It is a spectacular building – open and very inviting. Everyone I spoke to said that the Cadets love it and are flocking there in droves in the evenings (hence the title for this blog post).

I will write a more informative, detailed article about the library and the dedication ceremony for the next issue of SENYLRC Matters, but in the meantime here are some pics for you all to enjoy!

This six story magnificent building was designed by Malcolm Holzman, Hardy Holzman Pfeiffer Associates, in conjunction with STV Group, Inc. The views from the building are breath taking, especially from the Alexander Haig Room and the terrace on the 6th floor.

Here are a few shots of the interior of the library. The base of each table lamp has two electrical outlets so cadets can easily plug in their laptops. The first image in this group is dark, but believe me the library is very bright. My flash failed to go off for this pic! Cadets were attending classes when these photos were taken so that’s why the tables are empty. As I mentioned above the library is filled with cadets during the evening hours.

Notice the grand stair case in this image. Cadets are not allowed to use the elevators so the stair case is prominent and as grand as the building.

A replica of Thomas Jefferson’s desk was donated by the Thomas Jefferson Foundation, Inc. in Charlottesville, VA. Representatives from the Foundation were in attendance at the day’s events.

Here is a picture of Joe Barth (on the left). Joe worked at the Cadet Library for 40 years and recently retired from his position as the Director. He is standing with BG (R) Barney Forsythe, former Vice Dean for Education at West Point (and my dad!). It was General Forsythe’s idea to build the new library, but he’d be the first to tell you that this was a massive group effort.

Here is a photo of the ribbon cutting ceremony. The cutting of the ribbon followed several eloquent speeches.

The man all the way to the right in this photo is Bryn Geffert, the new Director of the library. He is receiving one of three recently published books written by USMA faculty. Two of the authors are pictured here, Patrick J. Driscoll (Professor of Operations Research in Systems Engineering) and Gregory Parnell (Professor in Systems Engineering). Also in the photo is BG Patrick Finnegan, Dean of the Academic Board.

I’ll leave you with a quote from my dad: “Thomas Jefferson Hall…will say unequivocally that intellect matters in the Army profession. Speaking also to the importance of traditional martial virtues, the building will bring old and new concepts of officership into harmony. Jefferson Hall will stand for centuries as a symbol of both officer education and the professional artistry of the architect, whose creative ideas and steady hand brought these important ideas to reality.”