Meet Jo Ach
Sitting across from Jo Ach, I am equal parts amazed and terrified as I watch this seasoned volunteer navigate the boxes of paperbacks around her; there is a verifiable cardboard jungle in her path. Jo weaves in and around the stacks with confidence even though she moves with a limp, a battle scar remaining from the bout of polio she fought in 1955.
Putting her cane aside, she seats herself on a folding chair and begins sorting. At 93, Jo is one of our most venerable volunteers, and has been with the Friends for upwards of 15 years. Even before volunteering, Jo’s ties with the Friends, and particularly the Used Book Store at the Warehouse, were strong. Shortly after moving to the neighborhood she attended the inaugural sale held at the Warehouse. She remembers the car dealership that previously occupied the space at 8456 Vine Street, and recalls when the Friends moved in. “When we first got it (8456 Vine), we didn’t know how we would fill it,” Jo recollects. “Well, look at it now!” She chuckles as she gestures toward the towers of books in her vicinity.
As we continue our chat, I’m taken on an abbreviated tour of Jo’s volunteer queendom. I’m shown the labeling system she uses to organize the seven different categories of novels, the boxes of overflow awaiting to be shelved, and I’m briefed on the strict standards of condition to which donations must adhere.
Since her husband’s passing, Jo frequently volunteers—generally 3 days per week for several hours at a time. “It gives me something to do.” She is used to staying busy and likes to be productive. Jo cared for her late husband Dr. F. Jay Ach during the illness that preceded his death, and even in the midst of her family responsibilities she still found time and energy to volunteer weekly.
Her schedule isn’t the only thing that she keeps busy. Jo has a remarkable mind. She was raised in a family that valued education, and Jo, and all four of her siblings attended college. She speaks almost reverently of her father, shaking her head and musing that she can’t believe he put his children through college—especially during the depression…and on a farmer’s income! What did Jo study in school? Biochemistry.
That’s right. Jo Ach studied biochemistry in the 1940s when many women aimed no higher than secretarial school. Her story is remarkable. She worked on a cure for gangrene before the advent of penicillin. She drew blood at Jewish Hospital and ran the tests manually before there was automated lab equipment and centrifuges. She put her husband through medical school, lived abroad, fought off a crippling disease while caring for an infant, and raised two sons, both of whom happen to be scientists. Jo Ach is an incredibly strong woman. She also knows what she likes.
“I read to learn for many years,” she confides without an ounce of pretension or arrogance. “Now I read for enjoyment.” She wouldn’t tell me the title of the book she finished the previous evening, but she did admit to being a fan of romance novels.
Jo Ach is excited about the June Book Sale being on our own turf, and she pulling more than her share of prep-work weight. She is a role model, for men and women alike. And she is a heck of a volunteer. Thank you, Jo, for your strength, service and spirit. We appreciate you!