May 2008

            The staff of the family owned and operated Marshall County small business, The Basket Case, has been chosen as May’s Patrons of the Month in the Public Library’s Marshall County Reads campaign.  Throughout the month you will be able to find Joy Couch, Linda Timmons, Sue Lindsay, Alfrieda Rowland, Chris Beasley, Jake Couch and Kirsten Couch on a series of print ads along with bookmarks that can be found at all branches of the Marshall County Public Library.  Additionally, a poster will be placed in each branch of the library for the duration of the month.  

            The Basket Case, a florist in Calvert City , is owned by the mother and daughter team of Linda Timmons and Joy Couch.  The shop also employees family members Sue Lindsay, Chris Beasley, and matriarch Alfrieda Rowland.  The family enjoys owning a business in a small community.  “The people around here are what make this job so great,” states owner Joy Couch.  “We just love getting to know all the different people that come into our shop.”  

            Not only does Alfrieda Rowland’s family all work together, they also read together.  The entire family, including her great-grandchildren Jake and Kirsten Couch, are active library patrons.  “We all enjoying going to the library and are very proud of the great new library we have here in Calvert City .  They have a beautiful children’s section for the kids and a nice large print collection for us older folks.  It’s such a blessing to have something like this in our community.”

April 2008



Rita Dotson has been chosen as the April Patron of the Month in the Public Library’s Marshall County Reads campaign.  Throughout the month you will be able to find Mrs. Dotson on a series of print ads along with bookmarks that can be found at all branches of the Marshall County Public Library.  Additionally, a poster will be placed in each branch of the library for the duration of the month.

             Mrs. Dotson serves the community as a member of the Benton City Council.  She has also worked as an office manager for Don Thomas for the past six years.  Mrs. Dotson moved to Marshall County over 28 years ago with her husband, Doug.  They have two children together, Krista and Tyler.  

            “ Reading is the most wonderful thing in the world,” says Dotson.  “It takes you away and allows you to experience new things.  There are so many things in this life you may never have an opportunity to do, but at least you can read about it.  I’ve had a library card since I was 5 years old and still get excited about going to check out books today.  I feel so lucky to have such a well-run and nice library system in Marshall County .”

March 2008

Marty Johnson has been chosen as the March Patron of the Month in the Public Library’s Marshall County Reads campaign.  Throughout the month you will be able to find Mr. Johnson on a series of print ads along with bookmarks that can be found at all branches of the Marshall County Public Library.  Additionally, a poster will be placed in each branch of the library for the duration of the month.  

            Mr. Johnson has served the community as a lawyer for over 35 years.  A lifelong Marshall County resident, he opened his law office on July 01, 1970 and has been a fixture there since.   

            An avid reader his whole life, Mr. Johnson fondly remembers the first ever library in Marshall County .  “I was in high school when the first library in Marshall County opened in part of the old fire station.  I can remember going there to see Katie Majors, the first Librarian.  The library was comprised entirely of donated books.  It is really amazing to see how far our library system has come in this county since then.”

February 2008

       Judge Jack Telle and his wife of over twenty years, Dr. Terri Telle, have been chosen to represent the Marshall County Public Library during the month of February.  The couple was chosen because of their passionate support the library system over the years.
            The Telles both began their love of reading at a young age.  Judge Telle cites Mrs. Johnson, his librarian at Benton Elementary School , for infecting him with the reading bug.  “I really wasn’t interested in reading for pleasure until she introduced me to biographies,” he states.
            As for Dr. Telle, her need to read started at home.  “My mother read to me as a child.  I’ve always read.  It’s an illness really; I would go crazy without books.”   
            Judge Telle and Dr. Telle left Marshall County after high school to pursue their educations.  They returned thirteen years ago to begin their careers and raise their family in the same area that they had grown up.  Judge Telle currently serves as Chief District Judge and Dr. Telle works as a family physician.  They have two children, Christopher and Sarah.

January 2008

     Dr. Schaper was chosen for this honor because of his medical service to this community over the years.  Dr. Schaper joined the staff of the then Benton Municipal Hospital in June 1964.  After working as a general surgeon for 41 years, he retired from Marshall County Hospital in 2004.  His service to the medical community of Marshall County did not end with retirement, however as he now serves as the Chairman of the Marshall County Hospital Board of Directors.
     In addition to his service to the local community, Dr. Schaper has served the world community by participating in at least a dozen medical missionary trips.  Dr. Schaper has traveled to some of the world’s poorest counties - such as Haiti, Kenya, and Zambia – to administer healthcare to those that cannot afford nor have the opportunity to obtain it on their own.  For Dr. Schaper, public libraries are invaluable.  “Without books and libraries I couldn’t function overseas.   Libraries provide us all with access to the knowledge we need.”

December 2007

     The first ad in the series honors members of the Marshall County Library Board of Trustees.  Posters, print ads, and bookmarks will all feature Board members Lyn Thomas, Ella Lee, Paul Thurman, and Peter Wolff.
     Marshall County Public Library Trustees give back to their community by serving four year terms on the Board.  During their term, Trustees are responsible for advocating the library in the community, securing funding for the library, monitoring the library’s progress, and establishing policies for the library, among other tasks.  The Board of Trustees is comprised of five members that hail from various parts of the community.
(Board Members not pictures are Carla Marshall and Beverly Wiles)