Lipscomb University
10/08/2026 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 10/08/2026 15:23
From a quiet study spot to a lasting legacy: Alumna Becky Clapp gives back to Beaman Library Archives
From a quiet study spot to a lasting legacy: Alumna Becky Clapp gives back to Beaman Library Archives
For alumna Becky Clapp ('66), her years at Lipscomb University offered the quintessential college experience.
Sofia Bailey | 10/08/2026
Front Row: Alice Bailey, Dorothy Elias, Becky Clapp, Sue Stephens.
Second Row: Chuck Mancill, Judy DeYoung, Darlene McCarter, Nancy Roberson, Al St. John.
Third Row: Joe DeYoung, Steve Thornton, Bill Shadel, Will Chamberlain, David Jenkins, J. P. Jones.
Long after she walked across the graduation stage in her cap and gown, the friendships and memories she made on campus continued to shape her story. Clapp and the friends she made her freshman year stayed close through the decades, gathering for reunions of their own and slipping easily back into the rhythms of their college days and nights spent at Johnson Hall. They often looked forward to Lipscomb's Bisons Weekend, but also partook in their own special tradition as a close-knit friend group.
"Lipscomb would have a regular reunion, and we would get a suite all together at the Holiday Inn during the reunion weekends and it felt like we were back at the dorms," Clapp recalled.
At the time she was a student, Lipscomb University was known as David Lipscomb College. But much of Clapp's experience would feel familiar to students today: rigorous academics, meaningful mentorship with faculty and friendships forged in residence halls, classrooms and quiet corners of campus. A history major with double minors in English and political science, Clapp was not entirely sure what would come next as graduation approached.
"I didn't know what I wanted to do," Clapp said. "But I knew I didn't want to teach history."
"Lipscomb would have a regular reunion, and we would get a suite all together at the Holiday Inn during the reunion weekends and it felt like we were back at the dorms," Clapp recalled.
At the time she was a student, Lipscomb University was known as David Lipscomb College. But much of Clapp's experience would feel familiar to students today: rigorous academics, meaningful mentorship with faculty and friendships forged in residence halls, classrooms and quiet corners of campus. A history major with double minors in English and political science, Clapp was not entirely sure what would come next as graduation approached.
"I didn't know what I wanted to do," Clapp said. "But I knew I didn't want to teach history."
Then one day, she overheard her father talking with her brother and one of his friends about law school.
"He said, 'You can do anything with a law degree,'" Clapp recalled. And, so a law degree is exactly what she pursued.
After earning her Juris Doctor from Mercer University in 1969, Clapp once again found herself standing at the edge of a new chapter, unsure of the road ahead. Throughout her life, she may not have always known what she wanted to do, but knowing what she did not want to do often proved just as valuable.
"I didn't want to practice law," she said. "I knew that."
After earning her Juris Doctor from Mercer University in 1969, Clapp once again found herself standing at the edge of a new chapter, unsure of the road ahead. Throughout her life, she may not have always known what she wanted to do, but knowing what she did not want to do often proved just as valuable.
"I didn't want to practice law," she said. "I knew that."
A Mercer law professor suggested she pursue a master's degree in law librarianship at the University of Washington. At the time, it was the only accredited master's degree program in law librarianship, and Clapp completed the program in 1970 before starting her career as an assistant law librarian at Texas Tech University School of Law. After five years in Texas, she began to feel the pull of home.
"I wanted to get back to friends and family," Clapp recalled.
So Clapp turned to the first address listed in the law library directory: Samford University. After interviewing with the dean of Cumberland School of Law and the president of Samford, Clapp began a new chapter in 1975 as the law librarian at Cumberland School of Law.
So Clapp turned to the first address listed in the law library directory: Samford University. After interviewing with the dean of Cumberland School of Law and the president of Samford, Clapp began a new chapter in 1975 as the law librarian at Cumberland School of Law.
Carol Carter, Sandy Smith, Gwen Hill, Becky Clapp, Barbara Taylor, Emy Core, Pat Turner
She would spend more than three decades at Samford, serving there until her retirement in May 2008, leaving an immeasurable impact on the law library, its students and the broader university community. In recognition of her service, she was later named law librarian and professor of law emerita.
When Clapp decided it was time to give back to her alma mater, her reason for choosing to support Lipscomb's Beaman Library Archives was as simple as it was meaningful: It had been a quiet place for studying during her years as a student. "I studied in the archives there, and I would be the only person there," Clapp said. "The university library was a place to socialize in the early evening, but the archives were quieter. The archives were a special place on campus."
In August 2026, Clapp made a $50,000 charitable gift annuity in support of the Beaman Library Archives. The gift reflects both her gratitude for Lipscomb and her desire to help preserve the spaces and stories that shaped generations of students. Jaimie Beth Colvin, senior director of library services, commented, "We are deeply grateful for Becky's eagerness to give back and support the Robert E. Hooper Archives. Her generosity will help preserve Lipscomb's history for future generations."
Her gift represents more than financial support. It is also an expression of gratitude for a place that gave her lifelong friendships, a launchpad for her career and memories that still feel close decades later.
"Becky's passion for students and the importance of maintaining historical information has been a force in her life," said Hudson Akin, executive director of development in the Office of University Advancement. "By supporting the archives of Beaman Library, her charitable gift annuity will provide financial resources that support our ability to make these historical documents available for years to come. We are deeply grateful for her gift."
Clapp's story is a reminder that some of the most meaningful parts of the college experience live on long after graduation - in lifelong friendships, unexpected career turns and in the quiet places that help make a campus feel like home.
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