Meet Rosemary Auer:
As I chat with her, Rosemary busies herself stapling promotional material to shopping bags. She frets periodically that she “isn’t good for much” in her advanced years (Rosemary just celebrated her 98th birthday), but nothing could be further from the truth. She cheerfully bags orders, tags merchandise, cleans DVDs, and completes any other job requested of her. Rosemary Auer is one of The Friends’ longest serving and most dedicated volunteers.
Rosemary began volunteering at The Friends’ Shop in 1988. At that time, The Shop was located on the first floor of the Main Library’s South building where the security office is currently housed. During her tenure with The Friends, Rosemary has witnessed many changes within the Library and FOPL. She’s watched both organizations flourish and grow. When asked why she continues to give her time, Rosemary smiles and states that she enjoys the relationships she’s developed through the years. “They (FOPL) are nice, wonderful people, and this is a very interesting place with all these books.”
While not originally from Cincinnati, Rosemary has called the Queen City home for over fifty years. She takes tremendous pride in the fact she has always lived downtown (once a resident of The Phelps Building and One Lytle Place), and enjoys recounting stories of mid-century Cincinnati nightlife. Rosemary’s love for this city is palpable.
What does Rosemary read? “Cookbooks!” she exclaims. When there is a lull Shop traffic, Rosemary will peruse The Shop shelves for cookbooks she hasn’t already read cover to cover. She enjoys a variety of nonfiction, particularly science and history. David McCullough ranks among her favorite authors. Occasionally Rosemary does indulge in fiction. “I like those Amish books” she says referring to Beverly Lewis novels, and confessing in an almost apologetic tone.
Because of her joint pain, Rosemary takes frequent breaks from tasking. She doesn’t however, let her maladies dull her wry sense of humor. She massages her arthritic hands and looks at me with a twinkle in her eye: “I’m going to treat myself to a bourbon when I get home.” We both chuckle, and she goes on to tell me more stories about her life.
The Friends of the Public Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton County, and The Friends’ Shop in particular, are fortunate to count Rosemary Auer as one of our own. We thank Rosemary for her many years of service, and we look forward to the alternating Fridays when we will next visit with her.