Andrew Venable, Jr. (1944-2016): First African American Director of the Cleveland Public Library

Andrew Venable, Jr., a native of Staunton, Virginia, was the first African American director of the Cleveland Public Library in Cleveland, Ohio. He was born on November 11, 1944 to Andrew and Catherine Venable. Andrew Venable, Jr. was a graduate of Booker T. Washington High School (now Booker T. Washington Community Center) in Staunton, Virginia; a graduate of Virginia State University (formerly Virginia State College) in Petersburg, Virginia; and a graduate of the Case Western Reserve University School of Library Science (Note: In 1981 the library school's name was changed to the Matthew A. Baxter School of Information and Library Science; the library science program was in operation from 1903 until 1986).

Mr. Venable began his library career at the Cleveland Public Library in Cleveland, Ohio in 1970. He remained there for 13 years. In 1983, Mr. Venable left the Cleveland Public Library to become the director of the East Cleveland Public Library. He served there for five years. After leaving the East Cleveland Public Library, Mr. Venable served as the director of the Gary Public Library in Gary, Indiana from 1988 until 1992. After his tenure at the Gary Public Library, Mr. Venable became library director at the Ivy Tech Community College-Northwest Region (the college is also known as Ivy Tech). He served there from 1992 until 1993.

In 1993, Mr. Venable left Indiana and headed east to Washington, D.C. where he held the position of Deputy Director at the D.C. Public Library. Four years later, Mr. Venable returned to the place where he began his library career -- The Cleveland Public Library. He served as deputy director (1997-1999) and then director (1999-2008). He retired in 2008.

Andrew Venable, Jr. passed away on May 5, 2016 in Charlotte, North Carolina.

Highlights of Andrew Venable Jr.'s Career:

First African American director of the Cleveland Public Library

Named Librarian of the Year by the Ohio Library Council in 2001

Instrumental in the creation of the Greater Access Library Card

Awarded the Key to the City of Cleveland in 2008

Credited with describing public libraries as "The Peoples' University"

Awarded an honorary doctorate from Cleveland State University in 2007

A member of the fraternity Alpha Phi Alpha


Sources: Oder, Norman. "Q & A with Cleveland's Andrew Venable." Libraryjournal.com. Library Journal. 15 May 2008. Web. 10 Dec. 2010. ; "Andrew Venable Appointed Director of CPL." PR Newswire.com. PR Newswire, 9 June 1999. Web. 20 Dec. 2010. ; Henson, Jane E. E. Libraries--Link to Learning. Final Report on the Indiana Governor's Conference on Libraries and Information Services (2nd, Indianapolis, Indiana, November 16-18, 1990). Indianapolis: State of Indiana, 1990. Print. ; Hanson, Debbie. "Andrew Venable: Leading the Peoples' University." ClevelandSeniors.com, N.p., n.d. Web. 10 Dec. 2010. ; "Reading Recruiter Gary Library Chief Hustles to Bring in Customers." Post-Tribune (Ind.) 18 Feb. 1990. Highbeam Research. Web. 10 Dec. 2010. ; "City of Gary Says Farewell as Old Friend Tries Something New." Post-Tribune (Ind.) 6 Oct. 1993. Highbeam Research. Web. 2 Feb. 2011. ; "Venable Named Director of Cleveland Public Library." American Libraries. American Library Association, 14 June 1999. Web. 8 Jan. 2017. "Andrew Venable (1944-2016), Cleveland Library Director." Cleveland Public Library Archives. 9 May 2016. Web. 8 Jan. 2017. ; Kuehner, John C. "Andrew A. Venable Jr. Cleveland Public Library Leader Who Coined the Term 'The Peoples University': Black History Month." The Plain Dealer (Cleveland, Ohio) 13 Feb. 2013. Web. 8 Jan. 2017. ; "Cleveland Public Library." Encyclopedia of Cleveland History. Case Western Reserve University. 23 Sept. 2004. Web. 8 Jan. 2017. ; Marco, Guy A. "Cleveland Public Library." The American Public Library Handbook. Santa Barbara, CA: Libraries Unlimited, 2012. 94. Print. ; "The Schools of CRWU." University Archives. Case Western Reserve University. 2009. Web. 8 Jan. 2017. ; "Mr. Andrew Venable, Jr. (Obituary)." efboyd.com. E.F. Boyd & Son Funeral Home and Crematory. 2016. Web. 8 Jan. 2017. ; "Cleveland Public Library to Open Circulating eBook Collection." Independent Publisher (Online). Jenkins Publishing Group, n.d. Web. 8 Jan. 2017. ; Rogers, Michael, and Norman Oder. "Venable Named Cleveland Director." Library Journal 124.12 (Jul. 1999): 18. Print. ; Gray, Lisa. "Balancing the Books: Budget Cuts Strike Deep at the D.C. Public Library." Washington City Paper (Washington, D.C.) 17 Feb . 1995. Web. 8 Jan. 2017. ; "Carnegie's Commemorative Grants to Urban Public Libraries." Carnegie.org. Carnegie Corporation of New York, 10 June 1999. Web. 8 Jan. 2017. ; Albanese, Andrew Richard. "Culture Keepers: ALA's Black Caucus Continues to Make a Critical Difference in Library Services."  Libraryjournal.com. Library Journal. 15 Sept. 2002. Web. 8 Jan. 2017.

Dharathula Millender: Librarian, Author, and Historian -- One of Indiana's Own

Dharathula “Dolly” Hood Millender (1920-2015), a librarian, author, and historian, was born on February 4, 1920 in Terre Haute, Indiana. Her parents were Orestes Hood and Daisy Eslick Hood. 

Ms. Millender attended Indiana State Teacher’s College (now Indiana State University) in Terre Haute, Indiana, receiving her undergraduate degree in 1941. She pursued her library science education at Purdue University in West Lafayette, Indiana, graduating in 1969 with a Masters of Science in Educational Media. In addition, Ms. Millender was a member of the Alpha Kappa Alpha (AKA) sorority and was the wife of Justyn Millender.

Throughout her career, Ms. Millender served as a librarian in various libraries across the country -- working in Maryland, South Carolina, and Washington, D.C. (at the Library of Congress). From 1960 until 1978, she was a school librarian at Pulaski Junior High School in Gary, Indiana; and was a member of the Northwest Division of the Indiana State Teachers Association’s Library Section. In addition, she was a member of the Gary Public Library Board and was Gary’s first elected Councilwoman-at-Large.

As a historian and author, Mrs. Millender once served as the Chief Executive Officer for the Gary Historical and Cultural Society, and wrote several books on African American history for children, educators, and adults:

Crispus Attucks, Boy of Valor. Indianapolis: Bobbs-Merrill, 1965. Print.

Real Negroes, Honest Settings: Children's and Young People's Books About Negro Life and History. Chicago: American Federation of Teachers, AFL-CIO, 1967. Print.

"Through a Glass Darkly." School Library Journal 15 (Dec. 1967): 29-34. Print.

Yesterday in Gary: A Brief History of the Negro in Gary. Gary, Ind.: D. Millender, 1967. Print.

Martin Luther King, Jr.: Boy with a Dream. Indianapolis: Bobbs-Merrill, 1969. Print.

Louis Armstrong: Young Music Maker. Indianapolis: Bobbs-Merrill, 1972. Print.

Crispus Attucks, Black Leader of Colonial Patriots. Indianapolis: Bobbs-Merrill, 1982. Print.

Martin Luther King, Jr.: Young Man with a Dream. Indianapolis: Bobbs-Merrill, 1983. Print.

“Through A Glass Darkly (Excerpt).” The Black American in Books for Children: Readings in Racism. Ed. MacCann, Donnarae and Gloria Woodard. Metuchen, N.J: Scarecrow Press, 1985. Print.

Millender, Naomi, Bettye Turner, Dharathula H. Millender, and Barbara Polk. The Black History Resource Manual of Classroom Activities: The Cultural Linguistic Approach. Chicago: Cultural Linguistic Approach to Education, 1989. Print.

Gary's Central Business Community. Charleston, SC: Arcadia, 2003. Print.


On Tuesday, February 2, 2010, U.S. Representative Peter J. Visclosky of Indiana honored Ms. Millender on celebrating her 90th birthday (February 4th) and her lifework. In April 2011, the Indiana University-Northwest Chapter of the Neal-Marshall Alumni Club  presented Ms. Millender with the Legacy of Leadership Award.

Ms. Millender passed away at the age of 95 on December 25, 2015 in Gary, Indiana.


In 2012, I compiled a bibliography on Ms. Millender:


Fenton, Michele T. A Bibliography of Books by Author and Librarian Dharathula Millender: With a Brief Biography of Her Life. Indianapolis, Ind.: Little Known Black Librarian Facts, 2012. Print.


Update 05/10/2016:

See related posts: Etka Braboy Gaskin and the Gary Public Library (Gary, Indiana); and Bernice Appleton Wilder: First African American Director of the Gary Public Library (Gary, Indiana).

Sources: “May We Introduce Mrs. Dharathula Millender.” Gary Public Library Bulletin 1973 Jan.: 3. Print. ; “Officers and Committees of Indiana Library Organizations, 1971-1972.” Library Occurrent 24.1 (1972): 20. Print. ; Visclosky, Peter J. “Dolly Millender.” Congressional Record 156.15 (2010): E125-E126. Print. ; Millender, Dharathula H. "Through A Glass Darkly." School Library Journal 15 (1967): 29-34. Print. ; “It’s No Military Secret!” Indianapolis Recorder 1945 Sept. 15: 3. Print. ; “City Observes Crispus Attucks Day in Ceremonies on Circle.” Indianapolis Recorder 1968 Mar. 9: 15. Print. ; Rogers, Clema V. “Eastside News.” Indianapolis Recorder 1979 Jan. 20: 4. Print. ; Grant, George, comp. “Millender, Dharathula (Dolly).” The Directory of Ethnic Professionals in LIS. Winter Park: Four-G Publishers, 1991. 154. Print. ; Wilson, Rose Ann. “Dolly Millender Inspires M.I.S. Students.” Northwest Indiana Times 2012 Apr. 26:n.pag. Web. 2012 Nov. 11. ; Banas, Emily and Charles Shield. “IU Northwest Neal Marshall Club Recognizes 2011 Award Recipients: Student and Community-Centered Service Central to Awardees.” Indiana University Northwest News 2011 Apr. 26:n.pag. Web. 2012 Nov. 11 ; Fenton, Michele T. A Bibliography of Books by Author and Librarian Dharathula Millender: With a Brief Biography of Her Life. Indianapolis, Ind.: Little Known Black Librarian Facts, 2012. Print. ; Davich, Jerry. "Gary Loses Its Beloved Historian on Christmas Day." Chicago Tribune 2015 Dec. 27: n.pag. Web. 2016 Apr. 28.

Bernice Appleton Wilder: First African American Director of the Gary Public Library (Gary, Indiana)

Bernice Appleton Wilder (1923-1988) was the first African American director of the Gary Public Library in Gary, Indiana. Ms. Wilder, a native of Missouri, was a graduate of Lincoln University in Jefferson City, Missouri, and received her library science degree from the University of Southern California. She also was a member of the Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority. 

Ms. Wilder began her career at the Gary Public Library in 1954 at the Roosevelt Branch as the branch’s manager (now closed, the Roosevelt Branch was located at the corner of 25th and Jackson Streets --about a block and a half from the former home of the Jackson 5). In 1956, she became an assistant in the Gary Public Library's Extension Department.

After working in the extension department, Wilder worked for the Louis J. Bailey Branch*, and in 1963, was appointed Children's Librarian at the John F. Kennedy Branch (formerly the Glenn Park Branch). Nine years later, Wilder was appointed manager of the Tolleston Branch. In 1977, she became Assistant Director of the Gary Public Library's Extension Department.

In 1978, Wilder was appointed director of the Gary Public Library. It was during Ms. Wilder's tenure that the W.E.B. DuBois Branch was built and the Gary Public Library began automating some of its services. She served as director until her retirement in 1983. On May 18, 1988, Ms.Wilder passed away at the age of 64.

*Notes:  

The Louis J. Bailey Branch was named for the first director of the Gary Public Library.  Louis J. Bailey, a former employee of the the New York State Library and the Library of Congress, was a graduate of the New York State Library School (Edward Christopher Williams, the first African American male to receive a formal library science education, was a 1900 graduate of the New York State Library School). Mr. Bailey served as director of the Gary Public Library from 1908 until 1922.

The Gary Public Library was originally housed in a rented facility on 33rd West 7th Avenue before receiving a grant of $65,000 in 1910 from Andrew Carnegie for a new building at the corner of 5th Avenue and Adams Street (Carnegie's brother-in-law, Henry D. Whitfield, served as the library's architect). The Carnegie building opened in November 1912 (Father John Cavanaugh of the University of Notre Dame gave the dedication address). The Carnegie building served as the location of the main branch of the Gary Public Library until 1962 when it was razed to make way for a new facility. The Gary Public Library's new main branch was opened in 1964 on the same spot on which the Carnegie building was built 52 years earlier.

See related posts: Etka F. Braboy Gaskin and the Gary Public Library (Gary, Indiana) ; Helen Price Sawyer Braxton: Hampton Institute Library School Graduate and Librarian at Lincoln University (Jefferson City, Missouri) ;  Annette Hoage Phinazee: Dean, Professor, Author, and Librarian ; and Dhrathula Millender: Librarian, Author, and Historian - One of Indiana's Own.

Sources: Gary Public Library. ; “Missouri Girl Is Appointed Gary Librarian.” Indianapolis Recorder 6 Mar. 1954: 9. Print. ; “Personnel Appointments.” Gary Library Bulletin 12.3 (1954): 2. Print. ; “Personnel Changes.” Gary Library Bulletin 14.2 (1956): 4. Print. ; “Bernice Wilder, Past Director at Gary Library Dies at 64.” Gary Post-Tribune (Ind.) 20 May 1988: B9. Print. ; “Final Respect Paid 10th Library Director.” Gary Post-Tribune (Ind.) 26 May 1988. Highbeam Research, n.d. Web. 18 Feb. 2011. ; “Certificates Issued by the Library Certification Board – All Permanent Certificates Issued February 1 – April 30, 1961.” Library Occurrent 20.6 (1961): 176. Print. ;  “Bernice Appleton.” United States Census, 1930. FamilySearch.org, n.d. Web. 7 Jan. 2011. ; “Bernice Appleton.” United States Census, 1940. FamilySearch.org, n.d. Web. 4 Mar. 2013. ; “Bernice L. Wilder.” Social Security Death Index. FamilySearch.org, n.d. Web. 4 Mar. 2013. ; Peters, Orpha Maud. The Gary Public Library: 1907-1944. Gary: Gary Public Library, 1945. Print. ; “Roosevelt Branch Library.” Gary Library Bulletin 22.3 (1965): 2. Print. ; “History of the Alcott Branch Library.” Gary Library Bulletin 22.5 (1965): 2. Print. ; “New Library Buildings.” Library Occurrent 3.5 (1912): 93-95. Print. ;  “Bailey Honored by Librarians.” Indianapolis Star 8 Dec. 1933: 15. Print. ;  “State Library Activities Outlined by Indianan.” Indianapolis News 15 May 1929: 14. Print. ;  McPherson, Alan. Temples of Knowledge: Andrew Carnegie's Gift to Indiana. Kewanna, IN: Hoosier's Nest Press, 2003. 215, 227, 231, 234. Print.

Etka Braboy Gaskin and the Gary Public Library (Gary, Indiana)

Etka F. Braboy Gaskin (1888-1972), a native of Kokomo, Indiana and the daughter of Joseph A. and Alice McCoy Braboy, was the earliest known African American librarian in Gary, Indiana. She was hired as a librarian at the Alcott Branch of the Gary Public Library in 1924. In 1931, Ms. Gaskin began working as a librarian at the Roosevelt Branch of the Gary Public Library (now closed, this branch was located on the corner of 25th and Jackson Streets -- about a block and a half from the former home of the Jackson 5). She had previously worked at the Roosevelt Branch as an assistant before graduating from the Indiana Public Library Commission Summer School for Librarians in 1923. In 1928, Ms. Gaskin, Lillian Sunshine Hayden Childress Hall, Edward C. Williams, Rev. Thomas Fountain Blue, Rachel Davis Harris, Othella Roberts, Hallie Beachem Brooks, Rebecca M. Bond, and Elnora McIntyre Roy were among several noted African American attendees at the American Library Association's 50th Annual Conference held in West Baden, Indiana. Ms. Gaskin passed away in 1972 in Gary, Indiana.

See related posts: ALA History: 1928 Annual Conference of the American Library Association, West Baden, Indiana ; Bernice Appleton Wilder: First African American Director of the Gary Public Library (Gary, Indiana) ; and Dharathula Millender: Librarian, Author, and Historian - One of Indiana's Own.

Update 10/28/2012:

Two branches of the Gary Public Library (Gary, Indiana), the Carter G. Woodson Branch and the W.E.B. Dubois Branch, are featured in George Grant's book In Honor of... : Libraries Named for African Americans.  The book is published by Grant House Publishers.

Update 11/09/2012:

Additional articles about Ms. Gaskin, the Roosevelt Branch, and the Alcott Branch of the Gary Public Library:

"Roosevelt Branch Library." Gary Library Bulletin 22.3 (1965): 2. Print.
"History of the Alcott Branch Library." Gary Library Bulletin 22.5 (1965): 2. Print.

Update 2/15/2013:

Etka Braboy Gaskin was one of three African American females to graduate in the 1904 Class of Kokomo High School in Kokomo, Indiana. In July 1909, she was one of five African American women selected by the Indianapolis Recorder to participate in a 12-day vacation trip to Niagra Falls. Ms. Gaskin later wrote about her trip in an article, "A Trip to Niagra Falls", which appeared in the August 28, 1909 issue of the Indianapolis Recorder. She later married Edward R. Gaskin, also from Kokomo, and the couple settled in Gary, Indiana.

Etka Braboy Gaskin's father, Joseph Albert Braboy (also known as J.A. Braboy), was a native of Franklin County, Indiana. Mr. Braboy was a United States Civil War veteran, having enlisted in the Union Army at the age of seventeen and assigned to the 28th Regiment United States Colored Troops. After his service with the army ended, Mr. Braboy became a barber, a three-term member of the Kokomo City Council, and the owner of a furniture and music store in Kokomo, Indiana. In January 1879, he married Alice McCoy. 

Ms. Gaskin's brother, Otis Burgess Braboy (1882-1955), was a 1901 graduate of Kokomo High School. He worked as a mail carrier for the United States Postal Service. In 1918, he married Vashti McDonald. Otis Braboy later settled in Toledo, Ohio.

Update 5/18/2014:

Etka Braboy Gaskin is briefly mentioned in an I wrote an article on Lillian Haydon Childress Hall. The article was featured in the latest issue of Indiana Libraries (v. 33, no. 1). The link is below:

Fenton, Michele T. "Stepping Out on Faith: Lillian Haydon Childress Hall, Pioneer Black Librarian." Indiana Libraries 33.1 (2014): 5-11. Print."

Sources: "West Baden, Ind." Indianapolis Recorder 9 June 1928: 7. Print. ; Peters, Orpha Maud. The Gary Public Library: 1907-1944. Gary: Gary Public Library, 1945. 21, 53. Print. ; "New Library Buildings." Library Occurrent 6.10 (1923): 401. Print. ; "Summer School Students 1923." Library Occurrent 6.11 (1923): 411-412. Print. ; "In Local Society: Librarians in City." Indianapolis Recorder 11 Dec. 1926: 5. Print. ; "Free Vacation Trip, 12 Days Sightseeing for the Five Most Popular Colored Women: The Recorder's Second Popular Contest Closes and Names of Winners Announced." Indianapolis Recorder 24 July 1909: 1. Print. ; "Free Vacation Trip." Indianapolis Recorder 7 Aug. 1909: 1. Print. ; Braboy, Etka F. "A Trip to Niagra Falls." Indianapolis Recorder 28 Aug. 1909: 1-2. Print. ; "Roosevelt Branch Library." Gary Library Bulletin 22.3 (1965): 2. Print. ; "History of the Alcott Branch Library." Gary Library Bulletin 22.5 (1965): 2. Print. ; "Etka Gaskin." Social Security Death Index. FamilySearch.org, n.d. Web. 22 Dec. 2011.  ; "Etka Gaskin." United States Census, 1920. FamilySearch.org, n.d. Web. 22 Dec. 2011. ; "Etka Gaskin." United States Census, 1930. FamilySearch.org, n.d. Web. 22 Dec. 2011. ; Fiftieth Annual Meeting Advance Attendance Register, May 27-June 2, 1928, West Baden, Indiana. [Chicago]: American Library Association, 1928. 4, 14. Print. ; "Colored Circles." The Kokomo Daily Tribune 16 Nov. 1918: 4. Print. ; "Summer School Students 1923." Report of the Public Library Commission of the State of Indiana for the Year Ending September 30, 1923. Indianapolis: Wm. B. Buford, Contractor for State Printing and Binding, 1924. 6. Print. ; "Braboy, Eletka [i.e., Etka]." Kokomo City Directory and Howard Co. Gazetteer For the Years 1910-1911. Anderson, Ind.: Union Directory Co., 1910. 59. Print. ; Thornbrough, Emma Lou. The Negro in Indiana: A Study of a Minority. Indianapolis: Indiana Historical Bureau, 1957. 314, 362. Print. ; "City and Society." The Freeman (Indianapolis, Ind.) 18 Sept. 1909: 8. Print. ; "Annual Banquet of I.U. Graduates." Indianapolis Recorder 11 June 1910: 1. Print. ; "Otis B. Braboy." Kokomo Tribune 23 Nov. 1955: 2. Print. ; "1904." Sargasso 1905. Kokomo, Ind.: Kokomo High School, 1905. 129. Print. ; "Kokomo High School Alumni: 1875-1905." INGenWeb. INGenWeb Project, n.d. Web. 15 Feb. 2013. ; "J.A. Braboy." United States Census, 1910. FamilySearch.org, n.d. Web. 15 Feb. 2013; "Joseph A. Braboy." Indiana Marriages, 1789-1992. FamilySearch.org, n.d. Web. 15 Feb. 2013. ; "Edward Gaskin." United States Census, 1940. FamilySearch.org, n.d. Web. 15 Feb. 2013. ; "Edward R. Gaskin." United States Census, 1900. FamilySearch.org, n.d. Web. 15 Feb. 2013. ; "Edward Gaskin." United States Census, 1880. FamilySearch.org, n.d. Web. 15 Feb. 2013. ; "Otis B. Braboy." United States Census, 1930. FamilySearch.org, n.d. Web. 15 Feb. 2013. ; "Otis B. Braboy." United States, World War I Draft Registration Cards, 1917-1918. FamilySearch.org, n.d. Web. 15 Feb. 2013. ; "Otis Burgess Braboy." Indiana Marriages, 1789-1992. FamilySearch.org, n.d. Web. 15 Feb. 2013. ; "Edward R. Gaskin." Kokomo Tribune 9 Sept. 1946: 7. Print. ; "Our Class." Sargasso 1901. Kokomo, Ind.: Kokomo High School, 1902. 36. Print. ; "Braboy, Otis, Mail Agent." Kokomo City Directory and Howard Co. Gazetteer For the Years 1910-1911. Anderson, Ind.: Union Directory Co., 1910. 59. Print. ; "Senior Class of '01." Sargasso 1901. Kokomo, Ind.: Kokomo High School, 1902. 36. Print. ; "Braboy, J.A. (Alice M.), Pianos, Organs, Sewing Machines, Etc." Kokomo City Directory and Howard Co. Gazetteer For the Years 1910-1911. Anderson, Ind.: Union Directory Co., 1910. 59. Print. ; "Joseph Braboy." United States, Civil War Service Records of Union Colored Troops, 1863-1865. FamilySearch.org, n.d. Web. 17 Feb. 2013. ; Millender, Dharathula. Gary's Central Business Community. Charleston, S.C.: Arcadia Publishing, 2003. 47. Print. ; Fenton, Michele T. "Stepping Out on Faith: Lillian Haydon Childress Hall, Pioneer Black Librarian." Indiana Libraries 33.1 (2014): 5-11. Print.