KCK Public Library Memorials

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Alden Arn loved chess and books. He played chess with friends and checked out books from the Main Branch of the KCK Public Library. While he was living, Arn donated his sizeable collection of chess books to the Main Library. When he passed away, he left $20,000 specifically to purchase more books for the library’s collection.

Thanks to Arn’s generous donation, the reference collection at the Main Library has undergone major weeding and updating. Old texts have been replaced with new editions on everything from astronomy to interior decorating.

More than 100 titles were ordered with funds from the Arn grant. In the sciences, new books were ordered on archaeology, anthropology, biology, botany, chemistry, mathematics and physics. Historical topics include everything from the Civil War to the Third Reich. Other titles cover business, education, environmental law, literature, music and religion.

With his gift to the library, Alden Arn left a legacy of knowledge that may be shared by many well into the future. Top

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Jane Erington served as Youth Services Supervisor at the Main Library from October 1996 to April 1998. In her short time in that position, she saw to it that the children's library was freshly painted, that new bookshelves were installed, and that attractive pictures from stories both old and new were hung about the area, tempting children to become avid readers. A Mother Goose soft sculpture, and an inflatable penguin and T-Rex dinosaur were all Jane's personal additions to the children's library. Jane also devoted countless on and off-duty hours to the creation of the library's Youth Services web page.

Jane's many other contributions to the children's library are too numerous to list, and are best summed up by her own words: Our little patrons deserve the best library in Wyandotte County. It is my dream to give them a home filled with books, software, friendly faces, homework helpers and music. I believe it will come true someday.

Jane's patrons, family, friends and coworkers are helping to make her dream come true through the Jane Erington Memorial Fund. Books purchased through the fund display a name plaque in memory of Jane and her efforts. Thanks to everyone who has contributed to the fund, Jane's mission continues. Top

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Maria Hovermale

Maria was born July 9, 1929, in Cologne, Germany. She married Philip Hovermale July 27, 1957. They had four children: Karen, Brian, Michele, and Mark and six grandchildren: Ashley, Stephen, Braeden, Colby, Ryan, and Megan. Maria was a Registered Nurse at Western Missouri Mental Health Hospital.

When Maria moved to Kansas City, Kansas in 1975 she pursued a number of intellectual interests through the West Wyandotte Branch of the KCK Public Library, including opera, literature, gardening and philosophy. She later donated her collection of opera videos and Learning Company educational videos to the Library. In her own words, "The public library is fundamental to our quality of life. It's one of the great democratic institutions of our time."

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John "Jack" W. LaMasney was born in Maryville, MO, on January 12, 1931. He earned a Bachelors Degree in Business Administration from Central Missouri State University where he met his wife Valenia "Vee" Iwerks. He served in the United States Navy during the Korean Conflict, and worked at General Motors in Fairfax, KS, retiring in 1989.

John was one of the first volunteers at the Mr. and Mrs. F. L. Schlagle Library when it opened in 2001. He brought his four year old granddaughter, Macy, to walk the trail several times a month. Macy loved to walk with her grandfather, and often would bring back to the library some item that she had found on the trail such as a fossil or unusual rock. During the first few years that the Schlagle Library was open, John often brought birdseed to keep the feeders full outside the library.

Before his death on July 6, 2005, John asked that contributions be made to the Mr. and Mrs. F. L. Schlagle Library in lieu of flowers. Memorial contributions were used to purchase a beautiful oak “LaMasney Discovery Cabinet” so that all children who visit the library have an opportunity to discover nature. The cabinet contains antlers, furs, snake skins, rocks, fossils, leaves, acorns, nuts, and much more that children and adults can actually touch. Children will be encouraged to also bring their discoveries back from their walk on the nature trail, just like Macy.

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Thelma Lietzan was a lifelong resident of Kansas City, Kansas. She graduated from Wyandotte High School in 1934, and worked for Holsum Foods for 40 years before starting her own business. She ran Thelma's Real Estate for thirty years, and became a member of the Board of Realtors.

She was an active member of the Zion United Church of Christ, where she belonged to the Esther Aid Society and the Garden Fellowship, and served on the Church Council.

Thelma Lietzan was a world traveler and a patron of the arts. Her passion was painting, and she was an accomplished painter and member of the Wyandotte Art Association. She was also an avid reader, enjoying books, magazines, and newspapers every day. When she died at the age of 83 on April 23, 1999, she left the Friends of the Library a bequest of nearly $15,000.

Thelma Lietzan's gift will be used by the Friends of the Library to benefit the KCK Public Library by purchasing equipment and providing services that the library could not otherwise afford. Two services supported by the Friends include the Summer Reading Program, which offers reading incentives and activities for kids, and FLARE, which provides first books for babies born in Wyandotte County. Top

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Bea Owens loved many things--people, books, cats, going to science fiction and romance conventions, and collecting jewelry and turtles. Bea also loved the Kansas City, Kansas Public Library, where she worked from May 1989 until her death in January 1999.

To library patrons, she was that nice lady with the curly hair and friendly face behind the circulation desk. She enjoyed doing reader's advisory, especially where romance, science fiction, and mysteries were concerned.

To her coworkers at the library, Bea was a good friend. She was congenial, supportive, and helpful to everyone she encountered. She was also a fun-loving companion and counselor who was simply known as "Aunt Bea."

Bea had a truly remarkable talent for being able to pair patrons and coworkers with books she knew they might enjoy reading. Since she was an avid reader herself, it was easy for Bea to share her zeal and passion for books with the many people she helped every day at the library.

Patrons, family, friends and coworkers are remembering Bea through donations to the Bea Owens Memorial Fund. The books purchased through the fund will display a name plaque in memory of Bea and her efforts. A plaque honoring Bea has been placed behind the Circulation Desk at the Main Library. Top

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