Estate supports medical librarianship and health
informatics
By Wanda Monroe
Dr. Fred W. Roper
Contributed
It was his mother’s and stepfather’s never-ending
support and continued belief in him at each step of his
educational experience that helped Dr. Fred W. Roper (A.B.
’60 and M.S.L.S. ’62) choose librarianship as his profession.
And spending much of his work life in medical librarianship
led him down a career path that combined his specialty with
high-level administration.
Roper is a distinguished alumnus of UNC’s School of
Information and Library Science (SILS) and the distinguished
dean emeritus of the University of South Carolina’s School of
Library and Information Science where he served as dean for
17 years.
Even as a busy dean handling myriad administrative tasks,
Roper still found time to teach medical librarianship, write
a textbook about medical librarianship—“Introduction to
Reference Sources in the Health Sciences” now in its sixth
edition—and serve as president of the Medical Library
Association.
He credits UNC and SILS with giving him a stellar education
and opportunities to expand in ways that he never imagined.
“The University of North Carolina’s library science program
provided me with so many possibilities,” Roper said. “I could
never give back to UNC what it has given to me, not only
professionally, but [also] personally. My love of Tar Heel
sports is well known by all my friends and colleagues.” He
frequently travels from South Carolina to Chapel Hill to
football and basketball games.
To honor the memory of his mother and stepfather for their
belief in him and the longstanding support they provided, and
to acknowledge the educational experience he received at
SILS, Roper has established the Mary Alice and George Jones
Fund. Through this generous estate gift, he will provide
support for the school's medical librarianship and health
informatics programs.
“The University of North Carolina’s library science
program provided me with so many possibilities. I could
never give back to UNC what it has given to me.”
» Dr. Fred Roper
“We are grateful for the bequest Fred has provided to SILS
that honors his mother and step-father,” said Gary
Marchionini, SILS dean and Cary C. Boshamer Distinguished
Professor. “With this thoughtful and generous gift, we will
be able to offer fellowships, scholarships, internships,
stipends, travel, equipment and research funding to
outstanding students and our award-winning faculty. This gift
will offer opportunities that students in particular may not
have had previously. It is clear that medical librarianship,
bioinformatics and health informatics are rising fields that
will only grow larger.”
Throughout his years at SILS as a student and later as a
faculty member and administrator, and even after he became
dean at USC, Roper has been a loyal and generous friend,
giving of his time, talents and energy to contribute to the
school’s ongoing efforts. In addition to participating in
many activities offered through the school, he has served for
several years on the SILS Board of Visitors and was recently
appointed to the UNC Board of Visitors. He served as co-chair
of SILS’s 80th Anniversary Planning Committee along with
Sarah Snow (M.S.I.S. ’04). Roper is also celebrating a
significant anniversary—his 50th as a graduate of SILS.
“When members of the planning committee were discussing
possible presenters who understood the history of SILS and
could tell our story for the kick-off of our 80th
anniversary, Fred Roper immediately came to mind,”
Marchionini said. “We are so fortunate to have such a
dedicated leader and knowledgeable alumnus and friend who
continues to demonstrate his devotion to the school. We wish
him a happy 50th anniversary and thank him for all he does
for SILS and the University of North Carolina at Chapel
Hill.”