MU| A r c h i v e s
Thank you, Cyrus Funderburg
Alumnus who gave library its name was farmer,
salesman, minister, poet
Born March 31, 1881, near Springfield, Ohio, Cyrus Funderburg
enrolled in Manchester’s Business College – the precursor to today’s
College of Business – in 1899. In 1901, Cyrus returned to Springfield,
where he worked as a farmer and salesman. He married the former
Emma Studebaker of Miami County, Ohio, and the couple had four
children.
Cyrus belonged to the Donnels Creek Church of the Brethren in
Springfield where he served as deacon, minister and presiding elder.
With a passion for poetry, he wrote more than 1,000 poems, now
preserved in 29 binders in the MU Archives.
T
In 1966, Manchester named its new library for Cyrus and Emma
Funderburg (pictured) whose donation before Cyrus died in 1963
was the largest personal gift toward the capital project.
hose of us on the North Manchester campus see
Funderburg Library every day. And if you’ve studied
at Manchester since the mid-1960s, you remember
Funderburg as the place you headed to research a term
paper, write a report or cram for an exam.
Funderburg still fills those roles as it transitions to a technology-rich
learning community for students, faculty and staff. The library also
includes Wilbur’s Café, a gift from Dr. Wilbur McFadden ’53 that
serves up “brain foods” such as shakes, sandwiches and salads.
Cyrus descended from the first Brethren Denlinger families in Ohio
and inherited the Denlinger family Bible. Cyrus passed the Bible
on to his son, Alvin Funderburg ’38, a chemistry major, who later
presented the treasured heirloom to MU’s Funderburg Library in
honor of his father. Alvin, of Dayton, Ohio, died in 2013 at age
97. Alvin’s son, Frank Funderburg ’67, graduated with degrees in
chemistry and mathematics and lives in Florida.
Manchester’s Alumni Directory lists 39 Funderburgs in all.
As MU marks the 50t h anniversary of this campus landmark, it begs
the question: Who was Funderburg?
Archives
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By Jeanine Wine ’76