I’ve been inspired by many fine teachers over the years but the one who influenced me most was Frances Henne, my professor at Columbia’s graduate library school.
Not a household name and surely not recognizable outside her field, Dr Henne was a mover and a shaker in the children’s and young adult library world.
Born in Springfield, IL in 1906, Henne graduated from University of Illinois with a BA, and then got an MA in English while working at the Lincoln Public Library. Library work intrigued her and she went to New York for library studies at Columbia, and then to University of Chicago Graduate Library School for her doctorate.
Henne then accepted a teaching position at University of Chicago – the first female faculty member appointed there. There in addition to instructing, she began to write about the importance of giving youngsters access to good literature, and the travesty of districts where school libraries were underfunded or non-existent. Although her first love was the literature, she worked tirelessly on improving and codifying standards for children’s and young adult collections in public libraries, and for libraries in elementary and secondary schools.
Luckily for me Frances Henne had left Chicago and was teaching at Columbia in the 1960s when I was a grad student there. Of course her work with library standards and education policy was well known and she continued to advocate for that.
But thankfully she also taught two courses dear to her heart – children’s and young adult lit. And sitting in that graduate school classroom and listening to Frances Henne reading from Charlotte’s Web, and explaining why children need to hear it, is something I’ll never forget.
– Dana Susan Lehrman
Dana Susan LehrmanThis retired librarian loves big city bustle and cozy country weekends, friends and family, good books and theatre, movies and jazz, travel, tennis, Yankee baseball, and writing about life as she sees it on her blog World Thru Brown Eyes!
www.WorldThruBrownEyes.com
Librarians rock, Dana, and it’s heartwarming to learn about such a valuable and valued contributor as Dr. Henne. We need more like her.
Thanx Mare!
I love reading the stories about heroes in teaching! And Charlotte’s Web was one of my childhood favorites.
Thanx Sara!
Dr. Henne sounds like a brilliant, inspiring woman, Dana. And you know from my story the impact that “Charlotte’s Web” had for me in 2nd grade. It is a must-read for all children! Forget any movie version. READ IT!
Thanx Betsy, and yes posting the cover of Charlotte’s Web I thought of your story and your wonderful teacher who did all the voices!
Thank you for this stirring tribute, Dana. It is a peak experience indeed to learn directly from and with a giant in one’s field. Ms. Henne’s vita is astonishing and so perfectly directed to her life’s purpose. And to think that the essence of that purpose was gifted to you in that lecture hall and carried forth in your life’s work in turn. The magic of teaching.
Thanx Susan, in the library world Frances Henne was a living legion.
I’d see her over the years at library events and practically had to stand in line to speak to her. After she died in the 1980s Columbia held a wonderful memorial service for her with hundreds of her acolytes like me there!
Frances Henne is a relative of mine. Do you by chance have a copy of her vita? I would love to see it!
Keith
Welcome to Retrospect Keith, I hope you’ll be writing stories too!
The Frances Henne I knew died in 1985, was she your relative?
I have no more knowledge of Dr Henne than what I wrote in my story, but of course you can google to find more.
This was a very meaningful commentary, Dana. The only other recognized person I could think of that I associate with being a librarian (before she became an author) was Beverly Cleary. I didn’t look up her birth year, but I would speculate that Cleary was a decade or so younger, and that therefore some of the work that Dr. Henne did laid the groundwork to ensure that more libraries would stock those stories of Ramona and Beezus and Henry and all the rest. And it pleases me to imagine that they would have crossed paths at some point, at a conference for children’s librarians, perhaps,.
Dale, I’m sure they did!
To outsiders librarianship may sound like a dull field, but among ourselves we know it’s actually the best!
Great story, Dana. Sounds like she well deserved being named as your favorite teacher!
Thanx Suzy, who would think a serious academic librarian could be so vital!
What a joy to have known this pioneering woman! It must be terribly difficult to be a librarian in schools these days when so much censorship is being promulgated—I imagine Frances Henne would have been a strong voice for allowing children to learn freely.
Thanx Khati, and you’re right on all counts!
You were so lucky to have had Frances Henne to inspire you in graduate school. And what could be better than listening to someone reading Charlotte’s Web aloud.
Thanx Laurie!