December 28, 2007

Elizabeth Gill elected president of Friends of Evergreen Library

No one knowing Elizabeth Gill’s early background would ever expect her to become an avid reader or an advocate for community libraries. Yet this active 87-year-old defied family expectations and traditions. In January she’ll become president of the Friends of the Evergreen Library.

Sitting with her cat Sugar, Elizabeth Gill, new president of the Friends of the Evergreen Library, shows off her loves of history and quilting. Photo by Donna H. Eliason

Books lined the family bookcase but her father forbad his family to read, beside schoolwork, or to attend college. Elizabeth and her younger sister attributed his opinions to his limited sixth-grade education.

Health issues and enforced silence gave her reading opportunities.

However, her mother was a strong influence and encouraged Gill’s strong passion for learning. Born and raised in Manhattan, NY, she had numerous opportunities to read: she had frequent sicknesses, and quiet was enforced during the day because her father worked at night. Gill read her mother’s magazines and novels from the library or rented from the nearby stationary store.

Rheumatic heart problems kept her from participating in Physical Education, “ so I sprawled on the gym floor and read.”

Her grandfather told her, “If you don’t learn at least one thing a day, that’s the day you start to die.”

Gill majored in advertising art in an all girls’ high school in New York City, but realized at graduation she didn’t have enough college-required classes. However, her art skills are useful for her quilting and in designing the Friends of the Library newsletter.

She met her Navy husband while she worked as a photographer for two nightclubs. In l956 they moved with their three children to Santa Clara. After divorcing him twice, she bought a house north of Austin where she lived for six months before returning to the Bay Area.

She sought local and state opportunities to advocate for libraries.

While taking a Foothill College library science class, she accepted an unexpected position for 21 years - as a library technical assistant in the Cupertino School District. In addition, Gill wanted involvement with city government. The Library Commission made her part of the Library Facilities Commission. There she worked with local library advocates such as Dave Cortese and his wife, and Sacramento legislators such as John Vasconcellos. “I worked with all my heart and soul because I couldn’t stand the idea of people not supporting their library,” said Gill.

When she moved to The Villages in l995 she continued advocating for the Evergreen Library. As the in-coming president, she’s excited about the resurgence in the Friends of the Library’s membership. She’s planning a web site and additional publicity for such library activities as speakers and children’s programs.

At 87, Gill still keeps a full schedule. About 5:30 a.m. her cat, Sugar, awakens her. After tea and the morning newspaper, she spends about four hours quilting. She makes 3-4 children’s quilts at a time, plus aprons and quilting squares, which she sells through quilting magazines. Does she take a nap? “No naps”, she says, “that’s a lost cause.” Does she watch TV? “The 9 p.m. evening news is about it,” she says. Her reading focuses on history and quilting. When she has time, she continues her childhood love of doodling.

Gill is an inspiration to our community, not only for her library work, but also for her enthusiasm to make Evergreen a better place for its residents.

Evergreen Library Facts
The new Evergreen library opened in Sept. 2006 with about 21,700 square feet, making the new library area approximately three times larger than the old one. Now there are 26 public computers, with an expanded teen and children’s area.

The new library construction took about l8-19 months from ground breaking to completion, and the new facility has about 120,000 books, approximately 20 percent more than the prior collection. Circulation has increased about 30-40 percent since the new library opened. It has the largest circulation in the city.