Businessman donates $1 million to BC3
BUTLER TWP — Robert Heaton, who donated $1 million to Butler County Community College's library renovations, said Tuesday he's proud of his community and of the college.
His contribution is the single largest donation the college has received in its 50-year history. Heaton, 85, of Butler Township, is a Butler native who owns the real estate development company RHGL Inc.
“When I have visitors from out of town, I have two things that I like to take people to see,” he said. “Number one is BC3. The second one, of course, is Lake Arthur. I think those are two things that Butler needs to be most proud of, very much proud of.”
BC3 held an event Tuesday morning in the John A. Beck Jr. Library to celebrate the donation, with roughly 40 people in attendance, including his daughter, Leanne Heaton, and Butler County Commissioners Bill McCarrier and Dale Pinkerton.
Heaton's reasoning behind his support of BC3 is twofold: He supports the variety of education that students can receive, particularly in technical fields, and students are able to attend at an affordable price.
However, Heaton admitted he didn't always feel that way.
“I was one of the people who objected to the college back when it was first being started,” he said. “I thought it was too much toward academics. I thought we needed people to work in our community, to do the hand work and so on. And very much, as the years have evolved, the college is doing that.”
The $1 million will go to the college's $4.7 million library renovation, which is slated to be open in the spring of 2016.The gift also will lead to the use of the name of the Heaton Family Learning Commons, which will be part of the new library.The facility hasn't been renovated since it opened in the 1970s.In the new project, the library's windows will be replaced with larger ones, electrical outlets will be added to accommodate students' needs with laptops and cell phones and more computers will be installed. The library's entrance will be moved to the center of campus instead of the back. The library also will get a new cafe with outdoor seating.Renaissance 3 Architects of Pittsburgh is doing the renovations.Heaton told anecdotes of his classic “American Dream” upbringing on Butler's south side, and how his desire to work grew and changed over the years.“I was born in 1929. Those of you who are old enough recognize that was the most severe financial time in the history of our country,” he said.Later that year, his family's home was devastated by a fire. No one was there at the time, but the family lost almost everything.“In those days, your family helped you. Your neighbors helped you. Whatever. And they started over. And (my parents) survived, but they were never wealthy. They never could afford to educate me,” he said.He had wanted to be a doctor, but never had the money to go to school and do that.Heaton's first job, when he was 11, was washing cars. In high school, he worked at the Bantam Jeep factory, assembling trailers for the Jeeps to pull. He graduated from Butler in 1947.Then he attended Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, earning a degree in mortuary science.He worked at funeral homes until he became a real estate developer in the 1950s, and has been working in Butler ever since.“I have a 74-year working life. For 74 years, I have never been without some sort of gainful employment. And I'm very proud of that,” Heaton said.BC3 President Nick Neupauer said Tuesday was for the history books at the college.“Today is a glorious day in the history of Butler County Community College. One that certainly makes us all Pioneer Proud.“Whether used as a noun or a verb, the word pioneer translates into being the first. The Heaton family fits that billing,” Neupauer said.In addition to the $1 million contribution, Heaton surprised BC3 officials by contributing an additional $200,000 to the Glenn R. & Rhea J. McCandless Logan Scholarship fund. Heaton established the scholarship, in his business partner's name, with $50,000 from Logan's estate.That $200,000 is from the Logan Family Trust of which Heaton is an administrator.The additional money will allow for more students who are studying two-year occupational programs to receive scholarships.
