Unsung Heroes: From Packhorse Women to a Grade School Librarian

I recently read two historical fiction novels, The Giver of Stars by Jojo Moyes and The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek by Kim Michelle Richardson, whose premise is the same. The storylines are built around courageous, committed women who faced obstacles in Appalachia during the Depression as proud Works Progress Administration (WPA) Pack Horse Library Project employees. The women would deliver books by horse or mule regardless of rugged terrain, sometimes terrible weather, and often dangerous circumstances. They brought the outside world to a group of isolated people who usually resisted their overtures. 

The two books rate high on my list of books about books that I love. These strong, committed women who valued literature and literacy reminded me of someone special from my childhood growing up in a suburban community in the 1960s. 

I grew up in the post-World War 2 era when men went to college on the GI bill and often started small businesses. Women generally did not work outside the home. From my perspective, it did not seem like I would have a career, and I did not think about it too much. I did love to read and started writing short stories in sixth grade. 

Gerry Richmond lived next door to us. She was raising two young boys on her own. Gerry was kind and invited me on outings to the Museum of Science and Industry. She was also the librarian in our grade school. Gerry taught me the dewy decimal system and was always happy to answer any questions I had about the system's logic. She always read to us when our classes arrived in her domain. She loved to help everyone pick out books to check out. Her son was a year older than me and had trouble reading. He was likely dyslexic, but there were not any school programs at that time to help. So Gerry worked with him one-on-one. 

Gerry was divorced, and the ladies in the neighborhood understood that she had to work. There was never a discussion about Mrs. Richmond and all she accomplished or about Mrs. Richmond being a role model for me and my friends. She taught me that women can work and care for their families, and they can do it gracefully and inspire the next generation. 

My mother or her friends didn’t see her in that light. The discourse about women's self-actualization was fledgling, and working was a distant realization. She may have been a threat, but that is too trite. Seeds that would belong to my generation were planted at that time by her and other women looking for fulfillment outside their homes. When my high school counselor told me if I went to college, I should major in home economics, when my parents generously wanted me to go to college for a couple of years, when my high school journalism teacher crushed my ambitions of becoming a journalist, I had Gerry and others as role models. 

I often wonder about my mother. What might she have become if she had come of age when she could have explored her vast talents as an artist and used her intellect? Maybe she had a Gerry to inspire her, and her life's tapestry would have been rich and colorful.  

Now, I love to read as I did as a child. I am a writer and a ghostwriter. I attended college, earned two master's degrees, and raised a family. I have had successful careers and am now embarking on my passion career, ghostwriting. Mrs. Richmond is part of the reason, and I wish to thank her. 

Only a few people from my grade school probably remember her, if that. I do, and I want to give her a shout-out and a thank you. Are the people in your life worthy of such an homage whose stories you would love to tell, who could inspire others?