Pending demise of Gibbs Library carries 'a tinge of sadness'

Editor:

When I hear talk about the new library for Columbia County, my happiness is always tinged with sadness. That sadness focuses on the loss of the Gibbs Library. Few, if any, know the history behind that library. My father, Hubert Duffie, born and raised in Columbia County, has always been one of the countys biggest boosters. He wanted Columbia County to have a library. At the time he approached the Board of Commissioners, none existed in the county. He asked the county if they would build a library if he gave them the land, no strings attached. Finally, after much consideration, they took him up on his offer.

Although I know that Columbia County has outgrown the Gibbs Library, I hope that Warren Gibbs will not be forgotten when the new library is opened. He was my fathers stepfather and served as one of the first members of the Board of Education for Columbia County. The Gibbs Library sits on a piece of Gibbs property, which my father owned.

And although my parents have never asked for recognition of this gift to the community (or any of the others they have made through the years), I have always been proud to know the "rest of the story."

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Gail Duffie Stebbins

Augusta