Donor spotlight: John and Megan Anderson

University archivist Kevin Leonard swears that the most loyal, enthusiastic, and engaged alumni in his constituency are former members of the Northwestern University Marching Band.

So it was only a matter of time before a NUMBALUM— in this case, a pair of them—received the Libraries’ highest honor, the Deering Family Award.

John ’76, ’77 MBA and Megan ’76 Anderson played in NUMB while Megan’s father, the legendary John P. Paynter, was director of bands. Megan played alto horn, and John, a pianist, carried a flag in the band’s color guard. In 2017 she joined the Libraries’ board, and more recently the couple made a gift to digitize a trove of marching band films and videotapes from the John P. Paynter Collection.

“After I joined the Libraries Board of Governors, I saw more clearly how the library serves every walk of life at Northwestern,” Megan said. “It’s an incredible resource that brings so many things together in one place. Too often, the library is taken for granted, yet it is so critical to the strength and success of our institution.”

The Libraries hold a special place in the Andersons’ giving plans because of the potential to reach a wide swath of the Northwestern community. “We get excited about donating to places where our gift can have a broader reach and impact,” said John, who was a Libraries student employee as an undergraduate. “We’re very pleased and so proud to be loyal to the library’s work.”

Now that Megan’s board service has given them a deeper look at how modern librarianship affects an academic community, the Andersons are excited to serve as ambassadors for Northwestern Libraries, spreading their excitement about all the good work going on. As John said, “We’ve gotten the bug.”