Roll of Honor

World War One

Roll of Honor

World War I - 1917-1919

Edgar B. Anderson
James Dillard Anderson
James Anderson
Ed M. Byrd
William S Caldwell
John B. Carter
Carl A. Chilson
Solomon Davis
Richard Fly
Zack A. Green
M. E Grigsby
Matthew C. Hassell
James W Holt
W. E Holt
Cecil Hughes
James T. Johnson
Clifton Jones
Jimmie King
Joe C. Lankford
Owen B. Layne
William C. Logan
Tom W Maddox
William M. Marlin
James W Morgan
Isaac W Morgan, Jr.
Frank C. McClannahan
James L. McKee
Floyd Reed
Frank M. Ring
Otis Sharpe
John E Stephens
Wesley N Thomas
Joe B. Warren

Williamson County, Tennessee

Fifth Avenue Plaques

Two other plaques are on the outside walls of the library building on the Fifth Avenue side. One is in memory of Matthew Fontaine Maury, and the other is a memorial to two Williamson County's earliest educators - Gideon Blackburn and James Harvey Otey. The Old Glory Chapter of the DAR had placed these on the Franklin Elementary School Building at Five Points, and in the summer of 1961 when the remains of the old building which had burned was being torn down, the marble plaques were secured for the library. The DAR and Reverend William Ray paid for having them moved. They read -

1910

THIS TABLET IS PLACED IN HONOR
AND AS A TRIBUTE TO
COM. MATTHEW FONTAINE MAURY
THE PATHFINDER OF THE SEAS
BORN JAN'Y 14, 1806
DIED FEB'Y 1, 1873
SCIENTIST, HYDROGRAPHER
U. S AND CONFEDERATE NAVAL OFFICER
AMERICA'S MOST DISTINGUISHED CITIZEN
AND WILLIAMSON COUNTY'S ADOPTED SON

By Old Glory Chapter
Daughters of the American Revolution

1911
THIS TABLET COMMEMORATES
REV. GIDEON BLACKBURN, D.D. AND
JAMES HARVEY OTEY, D.D. LL.D.
AS EARLY EDUCATORS OF WILLIAMSON CO.
THE FIRST AND SECOND PRINCIPALS OF
HARPETH ACADEMY
FROM 1811 TO 1827

__________________________

GIDEON BLACKBURN, BORN IN VA. AUG. 27, 1772
FOUNDED PRESBYTERIANISM IN THIS CO. JAN. 14, 1811
DIED IN CARLINSVILLE ILLINOIS AUG. 23, 1838

__________________________

JAMES HARVEY OTEY BORN IN VA. JAN. 27, 1800
FOUNDED THE EPISCOPAL CHURCH IN TENN. AUG. 25, 1827
CONSECRATED FIRST BISHOP OF TENN. JAN. 14, 1834
DIED APRIL 23, 1863
Placed by Old Glory Chapter
Daughters of the American Revolution

Mary W Hasty

In addition to the outside plaques, three have been placed on the mantels in the library. The Library Board placed the first of these in 1950 in memory of Mrs. Mary W Hasty, former librarian and Library Board member. Mrs. Hasty died in 1943. This plaque is on the mantel in the front room on the left and reads:

IN LOVING MEMORY OF
MARY W HASTY
A LIBRARIAN WHO LOVED BOOKS
AND THOSE WHO READ THEM

Susie Gentry

The second plaque, placed later that same year, is on the mantel in the room on the right of the front hall. This room has just recently been converted to the children's room. When Miss Susie Gentry left money in her will for the library in memory of her parents, she stipulated that a plaque he placed, if the money was used for a building. On this plaque one finds -

IN GRATITUDE TO
MISS SUSIE GENTRY
FOR HER BEQUEST
IN MEMORY OF HER PARENTS
DR. WATSON MEREDITH GENTRY
MARTHA JONES GENTRY

Whitworth Family

The mantel of the reading room has the other plaque. The Whitworth family decorated and furnished this room in memory of Mr. Whitworth in 1961.

THE CHARLES BOSLEY WHITWORTH READING ROOM
BOOKS ARE GATES TO LANDS OF PLEASURE
BOOKS ARE FRIENDS. COME LET U.S. READ.

Three brass plates recognize three other gifts to the library. One is the Micro-film Reader which was given by Mr. and Mrs. Martin Tohrner in memory of his sister, Miss Anne Tohrner, who was on the Library Board for so many years. The second has been placed on shelving which was the gift of Mr. and Mrs. Barton Pope in 1967, while one finds the third on the book drop given in memory of Dr. Tandy C. Rice by his son and his family.

A Memorial Fund

In the very first days of the library, a memorial fund was established, and through the years the books purchased from this fund have been a great asset to the library. For many years most of the non-fiction adult books were bought with this money. Now the library does have money available for purchasing adult books, and the memorial fund is used for special hooks and often for the more expensive hooks that the library could not otherwise afford. 

The money in this fund is given in memory of or in honor of someone. In the beginning, the fund was made up entirely of gifts given at the death of a relative or friend, but in the 1960's Mrs. Martin Tohrner through the "Friends" group suggested that people might want to honor a person on a special occasion by placing a book in the library through this fund. 

Now books are purchased from the memorial fund both in memory of or in honor of a person. To show how much this fund means to the library, in 1968 293 memorial books were bought. Bookplates are placed in the books showing by whom and for whom the book is given. Many years ago upon the death of his son, William Roth III, Dr. Roth gave the library three shares of stock, thereby establishing the Roth Memorial fund. Each year the money received is used for children's books. In 1968 this amounted to $55.

State Regional Library System

In 1968 the War Memorial Public Library began to operate under the State Regional Library System. Colonel Campbell Brown at the Library Board meeting on January 8 introduced the idea, and he was asked to investigate and report to the Board. The Regional Library System began in Tennessee in 1937, and the minutes of the January 12, 1946, Library Board meeting tell us that the members at that time discussed whether our county should become a part of this system. 

It was voted not to join "Due to local conditions." This seems to have been because of the way the library was being financed. Every few years from that time until 1968, the idea was presented, discussed, and investigated, but each time a decision was made not to join the system. 

In 1960 when it was discussed, Mr. Overbey stated that under the Regional set-up, the County would have to appropriate approximately $3,900 per year for salaries alone for the library. Mr. Channell pointed out that the yearly operating expenses were in the neighborhood of $1,400. The City, which now gives $600 annually, has been asked to give $400 more, while the County, which gives $2,000 per annum is to be asked to give an added $1,000 annually.

A Regional Library System

In April 1968 Miss Irma Harlan, librarian for the Regional Library System of the State, and Miss Lillias Burns met with the Board to explain the Regional Library System and the advantages to the county. They were:

(1) Region owns 60,000 books. These could be borrowed and brought to the library by the bookmobile.

(2) In order to be a member, the Library has to have a fixed income of $42 per capita. By 1971 that would be raised to $52. This would be a fixed income of $10,367.39.

(3) Bookmobiles would visit the library as well as stations in other sections of the County every two months.

(4) The regional staff would assist in selecting and processing books.

Technical Information Centers

At this same meeting, Miss Burns explained the new Technical Information Centers. These, she said, were a network of storehouses of knowledge throughout the state and were available for questions on all types of subjects. The centers were set up primarily to serve small business and industry outside of the metropolitan area. 

Answers were relayed quickly and efficiently. This service has proven most beneficial to many during the years that have followed when they have come to the library seeking information not available there. In 1971 or 1972 the Technical Information Centers became the Area Resource Centers shifting their emphasis from business and industry to all subjects. There are four in the state, and we are still served by the one in Nashville.

The Blue Grass Regional Library System

The Library Board voted unanimously to become a member of the Blue Grass Regional Library System. There were and are nine counties in the Regional - Giles, Hickman, Lawrence, Lewis, Marshall, Maury, Perry, Wayne, and Williamson. At the same meeting, Mrs. Walter Carlisle moved that when the new seven-member Board was appointed by Fulton Greer, County Judge, and approved by the County Court that the present Board of Directors be automatically dissolved. Col. Brown tendered his letter of resignation that day.

The Board since July 1968 has been composed of seven members who may serve two terms of three years each. The terms of the members are staggered and begin on July 1. As of January 1975, the Board of Trustees was still composed of seven members, but the manner of their election was changed. Five of the seven were to be elected by the County Court upon the recommendation of the Library Board as had been the policy, but the sixth was to be a member of the County Court appointed by the County Judge and approved by the Court while the seventh member was to be a member of the Franklin Board of Aldermen to be named by the Mayor and approved by the aldermen. 

This is still the policy except that one of the five recommended by the Library Board is to represent each community where there is a branch library. At present branch libraries are in Fairview and Brentwood. Board members have always served without pay. In the minutes of January 1969, one finds that the Library Board was still meeting on the second Monday of January, April, July, and October. By July 1973 the Board had so much business to attend to that they began meeting monthly.

Stations

That summer of 1968 and in the months that followed Mrs. Walter Carlisle, working with Miss Harlan, established stations at Lick Creek, Rudderville, Boston, Thompson Station, Nolensville, Arrington, Brentwood, College Grove, and Hillsboro. Fairview was already a station and began being serviced by the Regional on August 1. The Fairview Home Demonstration Club had sponsored the library there beginning in 1964 at the Laundry Village on Highway 100. The library has stations now at Arrington, Boston, College Grove, Grassland, Hillsboro, Lick Creek, Nolensville, Pinewood, Rudderville, Thompson Station, and Triune.

On January 6, 1971, the library began staying open one night a week until 9 o'clock, and it still remains open on Tuesday from 9 a.m. until 9 p.m. On every other day except Sunday, the library is open from 9 a.m. until 5 p.m. There are now two branch libraries in Williamson County. Fairview became a branch library instead of a bookmobile station in May 1974. 

The Need for Change

In February of that year, Mrs. Joe Clinard told of the need for this change. She said The Fairview HDC which sponsored the community library that began operation ten years ago had proposed a budget of $1, 500. 00 which would pay a part-time librarian $100 a month with $300 for supplies and books. The room for the Library is provided, by the city in the City Hall. The city also has given $50 a year for library expenses. In May she reported that the City of Fairview would contribute $300 a year for the library there.

The branch library opened in Brentwood on June 15, 1976, with Mrs. Charles Brown as a librarian. The library is located in Building Two of Maryland Farms office complex in one large L-shaped room which has some seating as well as shelving. There is a three-year contract on this space.