“I really lucked out”

Donor Spotlight: Dick Bernhard and Family

Dr. Richard Harold Bernhard, Professor Emeritus of Industrial and Systems Engineering, finds great joy in giving back. Over many decades, Dick and his wife, Cindy, have given their time and philanthropy to many units across NC State including the College of Engineering, Arts NC State, and the Libraries. Dick’s partnership with the Libraries spans more than three decades, including membership and chairmanship of the University Library Committee (ULC) and the Friends of the Library Board of Directors. The Bernhards are Friends of the Library Life members, and Dick received the NCSU Libraries Faculty Award in 2004.

Giving back not only brings Bernhard joy; it is also something that comes naturally, and that was ingrained in him at an early age. He credits his father, Harold Christian Bernhard (1904-1986), a New York architect, and his mother, Clara Cladel Bernhard (1905-1995), a high school English teacher, with his propensity toward service and philanthropy. “They were both extraordinarily generous with their time, talent and money,” he says “and were well-known volunteer community leaders in Westchester County, New York, where we lived.” For years, Bernhard’s father was volunteer president of Yonkers General Hospital and did free architectural work for churches and other community projects. His mother was volunteer Chairman of the Board at the Andrus Children’s Home, and a well-known leader in many community women’s groups and Episcopal Church activities. He cites his parents’ examples as “an ultra-big driver of why my brother, Bob, in Corvallis, Oregon, and I try to be like them. A further big driver is all the opportunities they gave us both to be, in fact, like them.”

Given Bernhard’s gratitude toward his parents, it is unsurprising that Dick and Cindy’s own family has been a big driver in their philanthropy to the NCSU Libraries. Many years ago, as he was stepping off of the Friends of the Library Board, Dick donated $1,000 to Susan Nutter for a party for her and her staff. Instead of a party, Susan encouraged him to begin an incubator endowment, which he did in honor of his daughter Barbara Windom (NC State ‘92, ‘95). Over the years, the Bernhards funded this endowment, which supports the Libraries’ general collection, through the Incubator Endowment program, and it was brought to full status in 2006. Barbara, now Director of the University Tutorial Center at NC State, encouraged her parents to fund two additional endowments for each of their sons. The Hans Petter Bernhard Endowment to support Veterinary Medicine collections, and the Harold Christian Bernhard II Endowment to support Music collections, were both brought to full status last year.

When the Bernhard family gathered at the Hunt Library (where they have also have named two group study rooms) for the endowment book plating ceremonies last year, Dick and Cindy spoke with pride about the opportunity to honor their children through these endowments. Hans, a graduate of NC State’s College of Physical and Mathematical Sciences (now Sciences) (‘01) and College of Veterinary Medicine (‘05), showed a love for animals and their care at an early age, and was encouraged by his parents to attend NC State’s highly ranked veterinary medicine program. Now a licensed veterinarian, Hans practices in Holly Springs. Their son Christian is Professor of Music Education at The State University of New York at Fredonia, and previously taught band and orchestra in the Raleigh public schools. He holds degrees from The Peabody Conservatory of Music, UNC Chapel Hill, and UNC Greensboro. Christian’s love of music was also fostered at an early age, when he accompanied his parents to performances through the Friends of the College concert series at NC State, held from 1959-1994 in Reynolds Coliseum.

Through their endowments, the Bernhards honor their daughter and their sons’ passions and success in their respective fields, and provide funding for the Libraries’ collections in diverse areas—a great testament to their long and steadfast history of giving back to the Libraries and to the University. The endowments also represent a tremendous sense of both family and giving back that drives their philanthropy. “For better or worse,” says Dick, “a big part of what any of us is like comes from the nurturing we got in growing up, and, of course, in the career and marriage opportunities we had and pursued. I really lucked out in those regards too.”

For more information on the Friends of the Library Incubator Endowment program and establishing a collections endowment, please contact Leia Droll, Executive Director of Development, at ledroll@ncsu.edu or 919-513-7033.