The University of North Florida opened the new Allen Lastinger Center for Florida History on Sept. 5.
The resource, on the second floor of the Thomas G. Carpenter Library, was made possible by a gift of $3.5 million from philanthropists Allen and Delores Lastinger, advocates for education, culture and community engagement across Florida.
“The Allen Lastinger Center for Florida History will help UNF foster discovery and expand access to Florida’s rich historical legacy. We are deeply grateful to Allen and Delores Lastinger for their extraordinary generosity, which will empower students and scholars to explore and engage with our state’s past for generations to come,” UNF President Moez Limayem said in a news release.
The donation includes a collection of rare books, historical maps and Florida artifacts. Most of the collection will be digitized and available to UNF students, faculty and scholars worldwide who wish to learn about Florida’s history.
UNF said the Lastingers gave another gift to create three Allen Lastinger Annual Professorships, supporting UNF College of Arts and Sciences faculty members researching Florida history and culture; the Allen Lastinger Student Research Fund, promoting student scholarship, creative projects and public history initiatives; as well as student research grants and a dedicated internship fund for experiential learning.
The three COAS faculty members awarded the Allen Lastinger Annual Professorships in 2024 were: Keith Ashley, archaeologist and associate professor of anthropology; Denise Bossy, associate professor of history and award-winning scholar specializing in Indigenous history and colonial Florida; and Laura Heffernan, professor of English and digital humanities scholar. The three were chosen were chosen in recognition of their research and scholarly activities in fields of study linked to Florida history and culture.
The Lastinger family’s longstanding commitment to education has deep ties to UNF. Delores Lastinger, a UNF alumna who received a master’s in education administration in 1975, is a former high school teacher, civic leader and community volunteer. Allen Lastinger, former president and COO of Barnett Bank, is known for his leadership in business and philanthropy across the state.
The couple have been supporters of UNF since 1990, when they established the Lastinger Endowed Scholarship for students in the Silverfield College of Education and Human Services. In 2021, another gift from the Lastinger Family Foundation further strengthened support for aspiring educators.