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The family of lifelong Berryville residents Joel and Mildred Gibson presented a check for $25,000 to the Berryville Library Building Project on Friday, May 27.
“Our family is excited about this great opportunity of building a new and improved library that will serve the community our parents loved so much,” said daughter Carol Sue Gibson Wooten. “I know they would be very proud be a part of this community project that serves everyone for many generations to come.”
Joel Gibson graduated from Berryville High School in 1939, and Mildred graduated from Hillcrest High School in Bucksport, Maine, in 1941.
They met in Bangor, Maine, where Joel was stationed with the United States Air Force. Mildred and Joel were active members of Southern Heights Baptist Church, and Joel served as a Baptist deacon for more than 50 years.
Mildred was a member of the Democratic Women of Carroll County and the hospital auxiliary. She retired from the Arkansas Department of Finance and Administration as a field auditor in 1987.
Joel was born in Liberty in 1919. His family moved to Berryville when he was 8 years old to farm along the Osage River. A founding member of the Future Farmers of America at Berryville High School, Joel later served on the Berryville City Council for 26 years.
“Joel was a great mentor to me and a leader in all aspects of his life, whether it was his public service, leadership in his church, or just in his everyday life,” said Berryville Mayor Tim McKinney. “Joel always responded with both wisdom and integrity in a way that showed respect for everyone no matter who they were or what their situation in life might be. He was the kind of person that we need a lot more of in these trying times. How wonderful his family has chosen the Berryville Library to memorialize the family legacy, which will live on for many generations to come.”
Joel Gibson, who was named Community Ambassador of the Year in 2007 by the Greater Berryville Area Chamber of Commerce, retired from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, where he worked as a soil conservation technician.
“On behalf of the entire library and board, along with the many Friends of the Library, we are ever so grateful for this gift,” said Joe Scott, Berryville Library Advisory Board president.
The library kicked off a $2.5 million building project in April 2021 to construct an expanded library and has raised $1.2 million to date.
Since tax dollars are prohibited from being used for construction, the project requires private, corporate, and grant funding. The goal is to raise the needed funds by the year 2025 or before.
The new library will be built at 207 Springfield St. on land donated by the City of Berryville, located across from the Berryville City Pool at the intersection of Branch and Basore streets.
Anyone interested in making a donation, pledge or charitable gift to the Berryville Library Building Project, or interested in learning more about giving and naming opportunities may send an email to berryvillelibrary2025@gmail.com, visit the library at 104 Spring St. or call 870-423-2323.
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