A p r i l 2 0 2 0 • M a r i e m o n t , O h i o • V o l u m e X L I V, N o . 7
By the Book: A Salute to Betty Teeter, Mariemont’s First Children’s Librarian
By Pete McBride
In recognition of National Library Month, we thought it would be a great time to highlight a former and much-loved Mariemont Branch Library children’s librarian, Mrs. Elizabeth (“Betty”) Teeter. Longtime residents likely remember Betty, who passed away in 1995 but left a legacy to the children and families she served. Betty Teeter was a graduate of the University of Cincinnati, where she met her husband, J. Gordon Teeter, an engineer. The couple had five children and moved into 6 Denny Place in Mariemont in 1953. After completing her bachelor’s degree in 1930, Mrs. Teeter took a full year of rigorous librarianship training at the Public Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton County under Miss Alice Dunlap, who conducted a demanding course of study for newly-hired library professionals from 1926 until 1956. Betty began her career at the main branch of the library in downtown Cincinnati, and then was assigned to the Madisonville branch, where she served for over a decade.
commissioned and presented her with a wonderful hand-carved statuette, customdesigned and crafted by local sculptress, Ellen Lynch.
Betty passed away in 1993 at age 85, but her legacy as a children’s librarian and Mariemont resident lives on. Her daughters, Carol Teeter Woodard and Nancy Teeter Sauer, both attended Mariemont High School and both became librarians! In fact, Nancy recently retired as senior children’s services librarian from the Fountaindale Public Library in Betty Teeter would light a candle as part of her children’s story hour. Bolingbrook, Ill. And, fun fact: Betty’s granddaughter, Susan Knabb, is the owner of Sweeterie in The Mariemont Strand.
A Little Mariemont Library History
Betty Teeter’s daughter Carol Woodard, left, and granddaughter and Sweeterie owner Susan Knabb, right.
As announced in the November 13, 1967 edition of The Eastern Hills Journal, Mrs. Teeter was promoted to Children’s Librarian at Mariemont’s (then) Madisonville Road site branch. Betty proudly assisted with the library’s move to its “new” (and current) building on Pocahontas Avenue in 1972. Mrs. Teeter loved books and reading and thus took great pride in imaginatively introducing “good reads” to children, sometimes through
her “Storybook Hour Candle” ritual, which she introduced during her years at the Madisonville Branch. Betty kept in touch with the children and parents she knew and worked with, both during and after her years of service, including consistently sending birthday cards to her young patrons as they grew up. (Some of you were probably among them!) Mrs. Teeter continued her work as Mariemont’s children’s librarian for 10 years until her retirement in 1976. In thankful tribute to her years of dedication to local children, the Library
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The Mariemont Library has been welltravelled over the decades. • Original 1926 location was at 6646 Chestnut Street (Mrs. Maye Charni was its first librarian.) • Moved to the basement of the “Recreation Building” of the Parish Center in May 1930 (Ursula Stubbs was the librarian.) • Moved into the original Mariemont High School (now the elementary school) in 1942. In 1949, it was relocated to a storefront location at 6930 Madisonville Road (where Mio’s is today.) The new – and current - Mariemont Barnch location opened at 3810 Pocahontas Avenue in 1972. The current building is named after Ernest J. Miller, who was a Mariemont resident and was head of the Cincinnati and Hamilton County Library system.