'A love for learning': Little Library dedicated for slain UGA student
Benjamin Lloyd Cloer was a 26-year-old University of Georgia student working on a master’s degree when he was shot to death at his rental home in Athens in November 2019.
The suspect, an off-duty deputy, pleaded guilty in March 2022 to felony murder and was sentenced to life in prison. The defendant is now living in a Georgia prison.
Benjamin Cloer lives in the memories of his family and those who knew him.
Cloer, an intelligent young man with a love of the outdoors, was working on a degree in artificial intelligence with plans to work on his doctorate. He died at age 26 before a promising career in science could begin.
“It’s been three and half years since this happened and every day I struggle. It doesn’t go away,” Cloer’s father, Steve Cloer, said.
In May, the city of Peachtree Corners in Gwinnett County accepted a Little Free Library in honor of Benjamin Cloer, who had graduated the nearby Norcross High School in 2011.
“He did a lot of tutoring,” Cloer said about his son, who once taught artificial intelligence classes to high school students in Atlanta.
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“I was aware of the little libraries,” Cloer said about The Little Library program, which has similar small free libraries along streets of towns across the country.
“I contacted the folks at Town Center, a complex in Peachtree Corners that is partly owned by the city,” he said. Cloer’s request to install one of the library boxes was accepted at the children’s plaza in the complex.
“The library will help others learn and explore the world through reading. In this way, Benjamin can continue helping others to expand their knowledge and possibly develop a love for learning,” the father said.
The streetside library was dedicated on May 17.
In Athens, the family created the Benjamin Lloyd Cloer Endowment for Artificial Intelligence, which offers grants to students in financial need and are studying AI. Donations to the endowment are tax deductible. To donate to the Benjamin Lloyd Cloer Endowment for AI fund at UGA, visit https://gail.uga.edu/as/benjamin-lloyd-cloer-ai-endowment.
“Friends of mine created the endowment at UGA at a time when I wasn’t even able to function,” Cloer said. “This endowment was certainly among the most heartfelt actions people did for me to help deal with this terrible situation. ... Knowing that my son’s passion for learning will be passed on to others in his name is invaluable."
This article originally appeared on Athens Banner-Herald: Little Library in Peachtree Corners dedicated to slain UGA student
