The staff of the Alexandria Library celebrated Gladys H. Davis’ 61 years of faithful service at her retirement party at Beatley Central Library on April 1.
A City of Alexandria Proclamation by Mayor Euille was presented to Mrs. Davis earlier last year at her party celebrating sixty years of service.
Mrs. Davis has helped to raise three generations of children, equitably and good-naturedly, sharing her love of reading with the Alexandria community, said Rose Dawson, the new Director of Libraries.
Mrs. Davis, an Alexandrian from birth, began her career in 1947 with Alexandria Library, first working at the then segregated Robert Robinson Branch Library, now the Black History Resource Center on North Alfred Street.
After the Robert Robinson Branch closed in 1960, Mrs. Davis continued to serve the Alexandria community on the Librarys first bookmobile. Her years on the move were followed by decades of service at the Kate Waller Barrett Queen Street Branch childrens room. After the Charles E. Beatley, Jr. Central Library opened on Duke Street, Mrs. Davis transferred there, where she worked in the Childrens Department before retiring.
Although Mrs. Davis, who grew up as a voracious reader, has guided more than three generations of children, she has inspired the adults around her as well. I understand from staff that Mrs. Davis has set an example and become a role model for fellow workers, Dawson said. She has contributed immensely, giving of herself unselfishly to Alexandria Library and its staff and patrons.
Mrs. Davis graduated from the old Parker-Gray High School and continued her education at Tuskegee Institution, Temple Business School, and the National Institute of Practical Nurses in Washington. In addition to her library career, she worked thirty years as an educational secretary for the Alexandria City Public Schools, retiring in June 1987.
Her personal favorite book? When interviewed by multiple newspapers for her 50th anniversary, Mrs. Davis answered, Louisa May Alcotts Little Women, because its a story of sisters and their love.
After all these years, some things never change. It has always been and still is her favorite.
