Pat Pregitzer honored for establishing Friends of the Library

Pat Pregitzer, who is one of the founding members of the Onaway Friends of the Library, was honored at a well-attended reception last Saturday at the Presque Isle District Library Onaway branch.

Pregitzer has been a true spark of energy for the organization the last decade and a half, and for her efforts, her fellow ?Friends? welcomed her to a reception in the children?s area of the library.

?It was a very lovely thing for the Friends to do,? said Pregitzer. ?I like to get out and get things done, but in a way, I?m kind of a private person too. This was a lovely, lovely gathering.?

Pregitzer was treated to delightful treats, family members from outside of the area visited, there was special music, and she was given gifts of a painting and plaque.

The painting will be hung in the library and Pregitzer said the picture is a perfect description of her.

The painting is of three young girls, one in the middle with a warm glow about her, who is reading a book to two attentive listeners.

?It?s just the way I am,? said Pregizter of the girl in the middle of the painting. ?It says what I am.?

In addition to her activities with the Friends at the library, she is also very involved in the reading program at the school.

?THE FRIENDS have signed up to read with children every week,? she said. ?They (Friends) take an assignment with one child and go up to the school and read once a week with a child. They say that children learn to read, and learn to love to read, the more you read to them. The more you can do it the better.?

Pregitzer and her husband Karl moved to Onaway from Belding, a town northeast of Grand Rapids that has a thread factory that provides strong support to the local library.

Along with sound financial backing the library also had a solid Friends of the Library organization of which Pregitzer was a member.

When she moved to Onaway, she helped spearhead the effort to start a similar organization and improve the library facilities in the community.

IN 1990, the library was part of a 400-square-foot storefront where Joy Community Church is currently located on State Street.

Carol Latsch, who has been a Friends member for more than a year and said ?Pat said ‘we can do better.’ ? That they did. She contacted officials in Belding to obtain the bylaws and procedures to begin the process of establishing the Friends organization in Onaway.

?She said ?we need to spend money to make money,? ? Latsch said.

Empty canisters and jars were placed around town and an auction was conducted which raised $3,000, money that was used to purchase a copy machine.

The price of a copy was lower than any one else in town so people came to the library to make their copies. The machine paid for itself many times over. It also got things rolling, to the point where money could be put away and eventually was used for the move to the courthouse.

Pregitzer said there have been some ?handsome gifts along the way. When we put the children?s room in, Paul Wagner gave us $10,000.?

Latsch said she is totally impressed at how Pat pushed the group to where it is today. ?She has been fabulous.?

KATHY RADZIBON, branch mana

ger, believes Pregitzer was deserving of the honor.

?I think it was well deserved for Pat because of her inspiration in getting the Friends started so many years ago,? said Radzibon. “That has allowed this library to make great strides. I?ve known her for about three years and she has been wonderful in supporting me in the things that I have needed to help the library.?

Pat?s husband said ?She is interested in kids and she has a real motor.? Pregitzer does not intend to slow down either.

As a Friend was leaving the reception she said, ?I?m not going anywhere. I?ll be right here.?

And with that, the community is a better place to live.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published.