The very first column that I wrote for The Delaware Gazette was published on Oct. 3, 2015. At the time, I was lucky enough to take over a 27-year tradition that our previous director, Mary Jane Santos, had begun in 1988. My primary reason for taking the reins as the new contributor for “Glad You Asked” was to give our then-incoming Director George Needham an opportunity to acclimate himself to the area and the library district before handing him a weekly writing assignment.
After about a month of writing “Glad You Asked,” I spoke with George and asked if he felt ready to take over the column. His response was a lighthearted, “But you’re doing such a great job with it!” So my now seven-year tenure with the Delaware Gazette as library writer-in-residence began.
George went on to take a different weekly assignment with me as host of the WDLR radio program “Off the Shelf.” Our weekly half-hour talk radio show was much like this column, featuring upcoming events, book recommendations and national celebrations both within and outside the library world. We’d bring a guest with us into the studio each week to highlight their area of expertise, which many times brought about shenanigans and tomfoolery that you wouldn’t expect to hear on a library-themed radio show.
It may not be a surprise to many Gazette readers that today begins George’s last week with us at the Delaware County District Library. Earlier this year, he announced his retirement from the library, effective Friday, Sept. 30.
In his seven years with the Delaware community, you may have seen George out and about at a community event, pushing a book cart down a parade route (in form!), dressed as a king at the Medieval Faire, or “geeking out” during our annual free comic-con.
George is a voracious reader. If we assume he’s read at least a book a week since he’s worked at DCDL, then in just seven years he’s consumed 365 stories. But I’m going to guess that’s even an underestimate.
You may have heard George interview one of the dozens of authors who we’ve hosted both in person, digitally, or on the “Off the Shelf” radio show. George has been lucky enough to pick the brains of Sara Nisha Adams, R. Gregory Christie, Terri Libenson, William Kent Krueger, Sarah Vowell, Damon Mosley, Annie Lyons, Kirby Nelson, Mindy McGinnis, Kate Quinn, Martha Hall Kelly, Jasmine Warga, Connie Berry, Robin Yocum, Andrew Welsh-Huggins, Fiona Davis, Laura Kamoie, Jim Slade, Robert Kurson, JPC Allen, Lydia Mills, Troy Cummings, Brooke Barger, Robert Roman, Grace Ellis, Joe Blundo and Piper Kerman.
This year, George was bestowed with the highest honor given by the Ohio Library Council when he was officially named the 2022 Hall of Fame Librarian for a lifetime of service to libraries. Though George has been with the Delaware County District Library for seven years, that time is just a fraction of his total 51 years in public libraries and leading library associations across the United States. He will receive his award this Wednesday when the Ohio Library Council hosts its annual Awards & Honors Luncheon during the 2022 Convention & Expo. He will be recognized along with six other extraordinary people and organizations that make Ohio libraries the best in the country.
By next week’s column, we will already have begun the transition to Bryan Howard, the next director of the Delaware County District Library. But for today, I hope you’ve enjoyed my walk down memory lane and a glimpse of some of the things I will remember my friend George Needham for most. One of the common bonds George and I discovered that we shared early on was our love for live theatre. I think this quote from one of my favorite Broadway shows, “Wicked,” sums up things nicely. “Because I knew you, I have been changed for good.”
