Butler County Community College is honoring the late benefactor Robert R. Heaton with a July 7 event on the main campus in Butler Township.

A real estate developer who died in January at age 91, Heaton donated $1 million to the college in July 2014 during the Pioneer Proud Campaign to help to fund construction of the state-of-the-art $6.4 million Heaton Family Learning Commons, an academic and community library. The two-story Heaton Family Learning Commons opened in August 2016 and replaced the John A. Beck Jr. Library, which opened in 1973.

The celebration of life event is open to the public and will begin at 2 p.m. under a framed tent in front of the Heaton Family Learning Commons.

Heaton attended BC3 briefly in 1978, received an honorary distinguished alumni award from the college in 2014 and served as a board member of the BC3 Education Foundation from 2015 to 2019.

Members of the public are invited to speak at the event. Scheduled speakers include Heaton’s daughter Leanne Heaton and Nick Neupauer, BC3’s president.

Light refreshments such as baked goods and bottled drinks will be available.

Flowers will also be available for guests to place on the steps of the Heaton Family Learning Commons. The event is expected to conclude at 4 p.m.

In the event of inclement weather, the event will be held in Founders Hall adjacent to the Heaton Family Learning Commons.

Members of the public are asked to park in Parking Lot 2, where they can use a sidewalk that leads to the Heaton Family Learning Commons.

Leanne Heaton plans to have the sidewalk lined with the 1955 and 2005 Ford Thunderbirds once owned by her father, and a 1957 Ford Thunderbird she owns.