Robert Pamplin, former CEO of Georgia Pacific Corp., passed away this past week. He was 97. With his passing, Augusta State University and the city of Augusta lost a true friend.

Robert and his wife, Katherine, who passed away in December, were philanthropists whose generosity improved the lives of many residents of this community---much of it through their support of higher education. Their influence and generosity continue to be felt here.

Augusta State benefits every day from their family name. Pamplin gifts to Augusta State leveraged state funding for our library in the 1970s, and their continued generosity provided an endowment to assist the library, provide scholarships to students and support research and scholarship of our faculty.

The Katherine Reese Pamplin College of Arts and Sciences not only is a name attached to a wall at Augusta State; it is a reminder of lives lived well, of a generous family spirit, and of individuals who after achieving their own success through hard work lifted others.

In the death of Robert Pamplin, Augusta State University lost a great friend, inspiration and benefactor -- and the city lost a corporate legend whose reputation and influence will continue to be felt for future generations.