Board of Trustees for the Armstrong Library
Board of Trustee for Wilkinson County
Dr Tillman Memorial
Ellen Menetre Memorial
Board of Trustees for the Armstrong Library
The meetings of the Board of Trustees are open to the public. They are scheduled for the second Friday of every month at 11 am in the Board Room of the Library. However, it would be wise to check first, since meetings occasionally have to be rescheduled. If you wish to be put on the agenda, please contact the Director.
Larry Buckley
(Term expires 1/1/2013)
Genny Harrison
(Term expires 1/1/2014)
Joyce Johnson
(Term expires 1/1/2015)
Duncan McFarlane, Chair
(Term expires 1/1/2016)
Clemmie Billups
(Term expires 1/1/2017)
Board of Trustees for Wilkinson County
Ann Ventress, Chair
Tommie Jo Blackmon
Betty Field
Polly Rosenblatt
Dr Tillman Memorial
Dr Clifford Tillman, Chair of the Armstrong Library Board of Trustees and member for 46 years, died on Wednesday, November 11, 2009 at the age of 89. He will be sorely missed by all of us at the Library. (See article and obituary in the Natchez Democrat)
No one in Natchez has had more of an impact on our Library than Dr Tillman. If it wasn't for him, we wouldn't even have our building. Getting financing and approval for a new library in 1964 was a real political feat, and he took pride in his ability to pull it off. He was a visionary leader who steered the Library through good times and bad.
We are pleased that his family has asked that donations in his memory be made to the Friends of the Armstrong Library. If you wish to make a donation, you may bring it by the Library or mail it to 220 South Commerce Street, Natchez MS 39120. Contributors will be acknowledged on the Tillman Memorial page. These funds will be used for a special memorial yet to be determined.
Please see our blog post for memories from various members of the Library community.
Retirement Party
On 28 July 2008, there was a reception at the Library for Dr Clifford Tillman, who retired from the Board of Trustees after 46 years of service. Below are pictures from that event.
Click for article in the Natchez Democrat.
Click for more photos from Natchez Scene
To see the slide show again click on the green arrow. Click on any picture to see it larger.
In Memory of Trustee Ellen Menetre
Ellen Menetre passed away on January 30, 2006, and she will be missed tremendously. She was first appointed to the Board of Trustees May 24 2000. During her time on the Board, she became a much beloved member of the Library Family. She was a dedicated member of the Board, rarely ever missing a meeting. She was an avid reader and was in the library all the time as a patron. She was an active member of the Friends of the Library, supporting all their efforts. She was kind and encouraging to the Staff and regularly attended staff events. Here are some of our thoughts and memories about her:
"Ellen always wanted the best for the Library. Because of her persistence, we are finally getting new circulation furniture this month. We are sad that she will not be here to see it finally installed." Susan Cassagne, Library Director
"Ellen Menetre was a very unique and caring person. As an active board member and library patron, she was always supportive of the library and staff. Ms Ellen wanted great things for the library, and it is sad she will no longer be here to be a part of those things. She was always very complementary of my displays or anything I did for the library, and I will miss her very much." Chris Shirey, Library Head of Circulation
"I will always remember Ellen's great sense of humor while battling a life threatening illness. She was a big supporter of the Friends by helping with our Christmas Tour of Homes and other events as her health permitted. She was always gracious and friendly. One year when RoseCraft Garden Club did a walking tour up Washington Street, we stopped to admire the beautiful blue larkspurs in her yard. She came out and invited us into the yard to view them at leisure. I shall miss her." Ella Young, Member of the Friends of the Library Board
"Ellen lived right down the street from the Library, and she was the one we called first when we needed a Trustee to sign checks. She was so dependable and even let us know when she would be out of town, so we could arrange for someone else. She used to joke that she was popular with the staff because she signed their paychecks. We used to joke back that she was definitely our favorite Trustee." Casey Ann Hughes, Library Administrative Assistant
"Ellen was a very dedicated Library Board Trustee, she exhibited such exuberance in all phases of the library, from the front to the back, upstairs and down." Minnie Dinelli, Member of the Library Board of Trustees
"Ellen was a very enthusiastic person in her concerns for the library, she was also one of the library's best patrons." Jacqulyn Williams, Member of the Library Board of Trustees
"Ms Ellen was a happy person with a good heart." Janet Minor, Children's Librarian
"The dictionary’s meaning of 'Grace' is an attractive quality, feature, manner, a sense of what is right and proper, etc. This is often how I perceived Ms Ellen." Sharon Williams, Library Technical Assistant
"Ellen brought to the library board her sharp mind, her enthusiasm for the library, and her boundless energy. In addition to these wonderful qualities, she had the ability to express her strong opinions without offending or angering any of the rest of us. What a talent! No one can really take her place." Beverly Aldridge, Member of the Library Board of Trustees
"Ms Ellen was one of the Board Members who hired me and brought me down here from chilly Ohio 3 years ago to become the new Reference Librarian. She was always supportive of me and encouraged my ideas, as well as offering many suggestions for adapting to my new surroundings. When I got married last spring, Ellen gave me two books - Gardening in the South and a Field Guide for Birds. We both shared a love for nature. I will miss our conversations of flora and fauna." Marianne Sweeney-Raley, Reference Librarian
"Ms Ellen had a way of making the ordinary extraordinary." Gwen Williams, Circulation Assistant
"Ms Ellen was the sweetest person. She cared about everybody. I will miss her a lot. It will not be the same without her." Delores Mullins, Circulation Assistant
A parting thought from Ellen Menetre
(from the program at her memorial service)
"When I die, would they say of me - here lies the daughter of, the sister of, the wife of, the mother of, the grandmother of . . .But of myself? A being that had only existed in reflection, invisible until illuminated by the light of others? No . . . I want to do, to dare, to climb, to soar, and when I am old, I want to be able to look back and say that I've engaged my life to my limits, grasped it with both hands. That I've known, thought, felt, traveled, that I've met interesting people, done significant things. That I've made a difference to the world at large. And when I die, they will say of me, here lies Ellen Menetre, a somebody in her own right."
Yes, Ellen, you were definitely a somebody in your own right.
The Board of Trustees voted to dedicate the new circulation furniture to Ellen Menetre, since it was a special project of hers. This plaque hangs in the circulation area. (Click on the plaque to enlarge it.)
