A gift to the Libraries honors George H. Cornelson’s inspirational life

“You can lose everything except your education,” George H. Cornelson used to tell his kids. The value that he instilled in them with this proverb has led them to give a substantial gift to the Libraries in his name.

The Cornelson family has named the Cornelson Meeting Room (formerly the Fishbowl Forum) at the Hunt Library and established the George H. Cornelson IV Endowment to honor his inspirational life of service to others and to inspire the next generation of NC State's leaders by providing resources to help them achieve their goals.

Located on the Hunt Library's fourth floor, the Cornelson Meeting Room is a collaborative learning and research space with table seating for twelve, a large screen, and glass walls. The Cornelson Endowment will offer discretionary general Libraries support.

"My father was a big believer in helping people who saw the opportunity to help themselves,” Martin Cornelson says. “He was generous in a lot of different ways but he always responded very positively to people who had the initiative and the courage to take a risk, to push and apply themselves. He was always willing to help those people out. And he felt that getting a great education at an institution like NC State was a wonderful return on investment for that individual and their family."

George Henry Cornelson IV (1931-2021) learned the value of integrity, determination, persistence, and hard work by working in textile mills during high school and college. He graduated from NC State in 1953 with a B.S. in Textile Management. After serving in the Air Force and attending the Harvard Graduate School of Business, George began his lifelong textile career working for Clinton Mills, Inc. in Clinton, South Carolina.

"George was in the textile business, and one of the things that he always tried to do was upgrade their technology and keep them ahead of the curve so that they could be successful,” says daughter-in-law Karin Cornelson, who has served on the Friends of the Libraries board. “And the reason that we chose to support the Libraries is that it’s so innovative, technology-focused, and collaborative. Those were all things that he felt were important in the textile industry, and they also really tie into what the Libraries is doing."

George was a strong, quiet, and dignified leader who was always a consummate gentleman. He moved quickly up the management ranks at Clinton and Lydia Mills, serving as vice president and president. He retired as chief executive officer in 1986 at which time Clinton Mills operated eleven plants in six states. He was a respected industry leader, serving as president and on the boards of the South Carolina Textile Manufacturers Association, the North Carolina Textile Association, and the American Textile Manufacturers Institute. In 1965, George was named an NC State University Outstanding Young Alumnus. He was later awarded the Order of the Palmetto by the Governor of South Carolina in 2009 for his dignified and exemplary life of service to the state.

George and his wife Ann, who grew up in Raleigh, had four children and ten grandchildren, including a son, daughter-in-law, and grandson who graduated from the NC State College of Textiles.

"Clinton Mills was the largest employer in a very small town of about 7000 people. And my father saw the impact that that had not only on the individual families but on the community as well,” says Martin. “He saw that literally one person can effect change in a great manner if they're willing to pursue opportunities and put their nose to the grindstone, to have integrity and determination."

"When you invest resources in something like the Libraries, what you're doing is providing opportunities for the next generation to seize that opportunity and then they, too, will pass it along into their communities and effect change."