Robert Frost Library was, in large part, funded anonymously in 1965, with the proviso that it be named for the poet Robert Frost, who taught at Amherst College, off and on, for more than forty years.
In 1997, with the donors' consent, their identity was made public and a plaque was placed in the main lobby, to the right of the main entrance. It reads:
Robert Frost Library
Dedicated October 24, 1965
A Gift of a Charitable Trust of
the Haas Family of Philadelphia
F. Otto Haas, 1936
John C. Haas, 1940
Within the Library, many individual rooms and areas were funded by other donors, often named in memory or honor of a favorite teacher, classmate, or relative. The spaces thus donated and named are listed below, arranged by floor.
Each named space is marked with a plaque or sign naming the donor or honoree. The list below does not always quote the plaque exactly. When a motto or other phrase appropriate to the person honored appears on the plaque, it is included in the list.