A look back: Maricopa library pioneers honored

The Maricopa Public Library, which opened in June, is the city's first brick and mortar building. Historically, however, the library began as a shelf of books in an insurance office next to the post office.

In 1958 Naoma Cole and Jean Anderson learned the Pinal County Library was loaning books to small communities, so they started the shelf of books. However, the library outgrew that space in the 1960s and 1970s and moved into an unused building on the school campus. Mary Lou Smith, Pat Brock, Arleen Snow and others kept the library, which the students also used, open until the late 1970s when it moved to another insurance office with Kathleen Owens in charge.

The library, along with the school and most of the town, flooded in 1983; what was left of the library moved to a small building south of the railroad tracks. Alicia Hernandez was the primary volunteer, keeping the facility open to the public.

For five years, from 1983-1988, the library had perhaps its most unusual location in the county sheriff's building. "It was in the jail," recalled Smith.

Pat Poisson, Hermina Anderson and Smith headed a fundraising committee that brought a new library building to Maricopa in 1988; it was used until June this year. Bart Romero and his high school FFA students landscaped the grounds and poured the sidewalks in 1989; other FFA students later built the porch.

Longtime volunteers Linda and Gary Wilmeth staffed the library for many hours. "I'm a big reader," said Gary, "and they needed someone to keep the library open, so I volunteered my wife." Gary answered the phone.

On Saturday the Friends of the Maricopa Public Library honored those whose vision and community spirit made library services possible in early Maricopa. They received certificates of appreciation for their contributions and an honorary lifetime membership in the Friends group.

Honored library pioneers included the following:

Hermina and Oliver Anderson
Patricia and Harry Brock
Alicia Hernandez
Kathy and Pat Lacey
Esta Rae and Don Pearce
Pat Poisson
Bart Romero
Mary Lou and John Smith
Arleen Snow
Linda and Gary Wilmeth