What started as a nod to a fellow lover of books is ending as a gift to the community.
“All we really wanted to do was somehow memorialize Enid and pay homage to the ways she enriched lives here in Pierre,” said Nancy Van Camp.
Van Camp and other members of the Second Monday Book Club decided to pay homage to their fellow book club member, Enid Hyde, by purchasing and donating a table and bench to Rawlins Municipal Library. That table and bench provide a small outdoor seating area on the east side of the Library.
At the age of 107, Hyde passed away in April. Members of the Second Monday Book Club described Hyde as the heart of the book club for more than 40 years.
Robin Schrupp, Rawlins Library Director says that the table and bench are a welcome gift to the library.
“They were placed next to another memorial bench that was also donated to the Library,” said Schrupp. “When the weather cooperates, we can use this space for outdoor story time or patrons can use it to enjoy some fresh air.”
That other memorial bench, in honor of former Library employee Pam Templeton, was donated by her 4 N Pierson SDSU friends. Templeton passed away in 2019.
Schrupp says that the Library does receive memorials quite often, though usually those come in the form of books purchased in someone’s honor.
“The outdoor seating is a wonderful gift in honor of a wonderful woman,” Schrupp said with a smile.