Last Wednesday, July 11th, Dr. Burnett Rawson visited the Lanpher Library. He was celebrating his 99th birthday that day (which we discovered, makes him older than the original portion of the Lanpher Library that was built in 1916!), and was stopping at 4 libraries who were past recipients of the Vermont Public Library Foundation's Winnie Belle Learned Grant.
According to the information on the VT Department of Libraries website:
"The Winnie Belle Learned Fund was created in 2007 by Dr. Burnett Rawson in honor of Winnie Belle Learned, a Vermonter, educator, and his benefactress. Born in 1863 in Westford, Vermont, despite many personal hardships, Ms. Learned received her teaching certificate, and was a teacher and principal in Massachusetts for many years before returning to her native Vermont in 1911where, with a relative, Jennie Burnett, she operated Cherry Hill Farm in Williston. In 1932, during the Depression, Ms. Learned took notice of Burnett Rawson, a distant relative, and asked his mother’s permission to take him from the family farm in Underhill so that he could study. Her generosity and vision allowed him to attend the University of Vermont and its medical school. After military service and further medical studies, he practiced urology in New York for many years before retiring to his native Vermont.
Dr. Rawson’s goal for Winnie Belle Learned Fund is to help the small public libraries of Vermont foster literacy, love of learning, critical analysis and intellectual exploration in their communities, particularly among children and their families."
The Lanpher Library received Winnie Belle Learned Funding on two occasions. One time for the purchase of 2 laptops to help with the busy use of our computers by students come to the Lanpher Library. A second grant was awarded to the Lanpher Library to fund a year of Junior Naturalist visits from the Lamoille County Nature Center once per month, with some added funding to purchase books to support the Nature Center themes that year.
We were honored to be visited by a generous and kind man on such a special and momentous occasion.
According to the information on the VT Department of Libraries website:
"The Winnie Belle Learned Fund was created in 2007 by Dr. Burnett Rawson in honor of Winnie Belle Learned, a Vermonter, educator, and his benefactress. Born in 1863 in Westford, Vermont, despite many personal hardships, Ms. Learned received her teaching certificate, and was a teacher and principal in Massachusetts for many years before returning to her native Vermont in 1911where, with a relative, Jennie Burnett, she operated Cherry Hill Farm in Williston. In 1932, during the Depression, Ms. Learned took notice of Burnett Rawson, a distant relative, and asked his mother’s permission to take him from the family farm in Underhill so that he could study. Her generosity and vision allowed him to attend the University of Vermont and its medical school. After military service and further medical studies, he practiced urology in New York for many years before retiring to his native Vermont.
Dr. Rawson’s goal for Winnie Belle Learned Fund is to help the small public libraries of Vermont foster literacy, love of learning, critical analysis and intellectual exploration in their communities, particularly among children and their families."
The Lanpher Library received Winnie Belle Learned Funding on two occasions. One time for the purchase of 2 laptops to help with the busy use of our computers by students come to the Lanpher Library. A second grant was awarded to the Lanpher Library to fund a year of Junior Naturalist visits from the Lamoille County Nature Center once per month, with some added funding to purchase books to support the Nature Center themes that year.
We were honored to be visited by a generous and kind man on such a special and momentous occasion.
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