"Retired librarian could write book about life, career," December 23, 1996

Nai AiiLjE North iowans Retired librarian could write book about life, career By Kristin Buehner \ ., Of The Globe-Gazette MASON CITY Retired librarian Estlier Walls could write a book of her own about the rich and cul¬ tured life she has lived. The Mason City native sei-ved most recently as associate director of libraries at the Univer¬ sity of New York at Stony Brook, where she oversaw a main library and live satellite libraries and supervised a staff of 450. Previously, she served as program officer for Franklin Book Programs, a prestigious non¬ profit international publishing organization. She also served as director of the U.S. Secre¬ tariat to promote the hiternational Book Year in 1972 and as chair¬ woman of the International Relations Commit¬ tee of the American Library Association. Walls was also a commissioner and member of the Executive Board of the U.S. National Commission for UNESCO. If that weien't enough, she served as vice president for the U.S. Com¬ mittee for UNICEF and member of the World Rela¬ tions Board for the National YWCA. In November, Walls was named one of eight distin¬ guished ahnnni of Mason City High School at the Third Annual Alumni y\ wards. "I've always been lucky, I guess," said Walls, who speaks with an energy and enthusiasm belying hei- 70 years. "Mason City to me lias always been a nourish¬ ing community where achievement was always encouraged. I think I've had a very enriching life and it's largely because of the kind of background Mason City provided, and my family and friends." The daughter of a Mason City cement work¬ er, Walls has spent most of her adult life in apartments oveilooking the Manhattan skyline (her current apartment, near Lincoln Center, overlooks the Hudson River). Her friends and acquaintances have ranged from the scholarly to the entertaining, and once included a then-unknown Harry Bela- fonte, a New York City nightclub performer, and his friend, the equally-unknown Marlon Brando. They were among the many guests invited over the years to parties held in their "cold- water flat" by Walls and her roommate. In her work for Franklin Book Programs, (1965-1971), Walls traveled frequently to Africa, Latin America and Asia. She has taken numerous around-the-world tours. But no amount of travel could sever her ties to her hometown. Two or three times a year, Walls returns to Mason City, visiting her sister Madelyn, a retired Mason (Jity librarian. The two sisters developed their mutual love of reading at a young age at the knee of their mother, Jewette Walls, who read aloud poetry Through her work as direc¬ tor of book library ser¬ vices and African con¬ sultant for Franklin Book, Esther Walls traveled throughout the African conti¬ nent, Latin America, Afghanistan, India, Pak¬ istan and Nepal, among others. mm fcilobe Gazette photo by JEFF HEINZ Esther Walls* the daughter of a Mason City cement worker, has spent most of her adult life In apartments overlot)king the Manhattan skyline. In November, Walls was named one of eight distinguished alumni of Mason City High School at the Third Annual Alumni Awards. with her daughters and kept n sciaj^book of all the books she had read. "Books have always been a very vitdl part of my life," Walls said. "In readings ,¦ you can either see yourself or you can have a better grasp of othersi Yoli can transport yourself to places you might not otherwise visit." ' v A 194B graduate in lomance lan¬ guages from the University of Iowa, Walls accepted a temporary job as a librarian at the Mason City Public Library the same year. The job was, offered to her by Mason City librarian "CI reb nig can cap Pel ' del rep / pol tor figi ate A sev Em we I can hav I eig wei See WALLS, A2 \ Ma a r( an tra< Cit: S Doc Hig We occt pat 1 the real trai saic T Dea T Snc watf per(| be( mph 20.^ Tuel flurrl University of Iowa. Iowa Women's Archives