A falling-apart library book that Greg Strickler's granddaughter brought home from school has turned into $100,000 worth of new books for Clear Creek ISD's 10 intermediate campuses.

Strickler, a Clear Lake resident since 1978, donated the money to the district on Aug. 5 after years of quietly replacing worn titles at a single school. The gift was timed as a surprise for librarians returning for the 2026-27 school year, according to CCISD.

The story started when Strickler's granddaughter, Olivia, a student in CCISD's WAVE gifted and talented magnet program, handed him a library book to read when she was in sixth grade.

"The pages were literally falling out of the book," Strickler told KGTX 7.

He contacted the school librarian, got a list of titles that needed replacing and bought new copies himself. The following year, he provided funding so the librarian could order books through the school's purchasing system. That campus-level effort grew into a district-wide plan he developed with CCISD administrators over the summer.

It kept growing.

Strickler raised five children who attended CCISD schools from kindergarten through high school. His connection to the district now spans three generations.

Strickler said reading is too important to leave to chance and small budgets, adding that he wants his early investments to pay off in meaningful ways.

The donation covers all 10 CCISD intermediate schools, including League City Intermediate, which houses the WAVE South campus.

Superintendent Dr. Karen Engle said in an Aug. 7 statement that Strickler "saw a need and chose to turn it into an opportunity for thousands of children."

The gift arrives as the district navigates a projected budget gap of roughly $22.8 million for the coming fiscal year, as we reported Aug. 18. District officials have not said whether library budgets faced specific cuts.

New books are expected to reach shelves during the 2026-27 school year. The district accepted the donation administratively, with no board vote required.