Catherine and Isiah Leggett arrive on a golf cart to the Montgomery College building named in their honor. The Catherine and Isiah Leggett Math & Science Building was dedicated Sept. 19. Photo by William J. Ford.
Isiah “Ike” Leggett had a policy for the many ribbon cuttings he was called on to attend when he served as Montgomery County executive: Do the ceremony, but don’t go into the building until after it was dedicated.
He stuck to that policy Thursday. But this time, the building that was being dedicated had his and his wife, Catherine’s, names on it.
Montgomery College faculty and staff have worked inside the $104 million Catherine and Isiah Leggett Math and Science Building since Aug. 26. The first day of classes for students in the state-of-the-art building began about a week later.
But Leggett was happy to wait.
“This is the first time I’ve ever seen it. I am superstitious,” he said before Thursday’s event. “I had this motto when I was county executive: I’ll come up. I’ll show up at the groundbreaking ceremony. I’ll show up at the ribbon cutting, but I’m not getting in. I still follow that.”
Both Leggetts have been longtime philanthropic supporters of the college and its students. Catherine Leggett has supported the arts at the college and was a 2019 honorary degree recipient. She was also one of the founding members of the Maryland Public Art Commission.
Isiah Leggett is best known for his longtime government service as the first African American elected to the Montgomery County Council in 1986 and later as county executive in 2006. But he was also a law professor and assistant dean at Howard University in Washington, D.C.
The front of Catherine & Isiah Leggett Math & Science Building at Montgomery College. Photo by William J. Ford.
Dozens of elected and education officials came to the Takoma Park/Silver Spring campus to take pictures with and celebrate the Leggetts, including U.S. Sen. Ben Cardin (D-Maryland), state Sen. Cheryl Kagan (D-Montgomery) and University of Maryland System Chancellor Jay A. Perman.
Rebecca Thomas, interim dean of science, engineering and technology at Montgomery College, said she was meeting Isiah Leggett for the first time Thursday.
“I just wanted to go and personally thank him,” she said. “We deeply appreciate their [the Leggetts] generosity in making this building possible for our future scientists, our future engineers, our future computer scientists, who are going to go out into the community and the entire area to make a difference in the world.”
The 108,000 square-foot building includes 20 labs, a planetarium with 100 movable seats, a math and science learning center and a greenhouse. The building is geared to educate future engineers, cyber technicians, computer sciences and other STEM-related fields.
Isiah Leggett remains involved in statewide work.
He’s a member of the University System of Maryland Board of Regents, which governs the system’s academic, administrative and financial operations. It also formulates policy and appoints the system’s chancellor and presidents of the 12 institutions.
Leggett also serves as chair of the Blueprint for Maryland’s Future Accountability and Implementation Board, which is overseeing the state’s 10-year, multibillion-dollar education reform plan.
Del. Lily Qi (D-Montgomery), who was at Thursday’s celebration, said she also attended Leggett’s 80th birthday party earlier this year.
“This young man is still kicking. I just wish that when I grow up, I could be more like the Leggetts,” she said smiling.
As for Isiah Leggett, he said he didn’t want his name on the building unless his wife’s name came first.
“I wanted to make sure that something celebrated, not only education generally, but also my wife, who’s been such an integral part of the community,” he said. “I’m sure we’re going to have engineers, we’re going to have scientists and everybody else who’s going to come out of this facility. I’m delighted for this.”