There was no sign that computers were about to replace books and newspapers when Lake Forest Library celebrated its centennial last Sunday. Indeed, the computers in the reference room barely received a glance by the close to 300 people who streamed through the library.
They had come to hear and obtain autographs from such authors as Libertyville Township poet Lisel Mueller, whose “Alive Together” collection took the 1997 Pulitzer Prize. Others looked for some insight from Lake Forest sports columnist and broadcaster Rick Telander, author of “Year of the Bull,” before he had to dash downtown for the Bulls’ do-or-die seventh game against the Indiana Pacers.
Youngsters sat entranced on the Children’s Fiction Room rug as “George” and “Martha” elephant characters from James Marshall’s “George and Martha” series mimed to stories told by the Lake Forest Book Store staff.
“There is a lot going on. We wanted something that would appeal to all ages,” administrative librarian Kaye Grabbe said.
The celebration did just that, according to the three generations of Lake Forester Alice Valentine’s family. Her daughter, Trish Johnson, and granddaughter, 5-year-old Madeline Johnson, had driven over from Arlington Heights for the centennial.
As they checked out the refreshments in the west courtyard, Trish Johnson said, “I thought it would be fun for kids, and it is. We didn’t know about `George and Martha’ before. Now we do. The whole celebration is great.”
Valentine pointed out that they had not yet listened to the Lake Forest High School string quartet in the east courtyard. Before heading over there, Valentine said, “I was amazed to find out the library was 100 years old. It’s a wonderful resource for Lake Forest.”
That is the library as an institution, not the building. Mayor Cornelius B. Waud explained that the library, which received its charter 100 years ago, was originally housed on the top floor of City Hall a couple of blocks west. “The library is such an institution in this community. Its centennial is the theme of our Lake Forest Day Parade this year,” he said, reminding people to mark Aug. 5 on their calendars.
No surprise, then, that an institution in posh Lake Forest attracts Chicago-area movers and shakers. Longtime Lake Forester John Shedd Reed, 80, retired chairman and CEO of Santa Fe Industries, greeted such friends as Library Board President Louise Glasser in the library’s rotunda. Glasser, whose husband, James, is president of the Chicago Community Trust, also serves on the Newberry Library board. Reed’s family donated the library building 68 years ago.
When asked if he used it much when it was first built, Reed shook his head. “I was taking an international correspondence course in how to operate a locomotive,” he said.
