Hastings Foundation give Roberts Wesleyan
$1M for academic building

Roberts Wesleyan College has received a $1 million gift from the Bob and Mary Hastings Foundation. The money will be used to create classrooms and other academic spaces in the current library building, which will be vacated with the construction of the B. Thomas Golisano Library and Information Resource Center in the next few years, college officials said.

Bob Hastings is former owner of Bob Hastings Automotive Group in Pittsford. Mary Hastings taught fifth grade for 20 years in the Pittsford Central School District. The couple became acquainted with Roberts Wesleyan through David Hoselton, another Rochester area car dealer, who is a longtime member of the Roberts Board of Trustees. Both Mr. and Mrs. Hastings have served as members of the college's Board of Reference since 1999.

The Hastings were first impressed with "the morality of (Roberts Wesleyan)," Mrs. Hastings said. "It's a serious-minded educational institution with specific goals related to values as much as academics."

Mrs. Hastings said the $1 million gift corresponds with the couple's giving priorities. "Our commitment is to education and young people," she said. "In our world today, the more education and the better education people have will contribute to a better future for all of us."

"The Hastings' gift comes at a critically important time for the college," said John Martin, president of Roberts Wesleyan. "Tom Golisano's gift in 2001 allowed us to go forward with our campaign efforts and construction planning for the new library. The Hastings' gift now frees us up to engage in the same kind of planning for the renovation of our existing library into a central classroom building, a facility we desperately need due to Roberts' continuing enrollment growth."

Dwight "Kip" Palmer, Roberts Wesleyan trustee and campaign co-chair, described the Hastings' gift as one of the largest in the 137-year history of the college.