Barbara Clayton's 97th birthday in July 2015 proved a boon to the large-print section of the Port Townsend Public Library in January 2016.
An avid reader as well a writer, Clayton decided that for …
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Barbara Clayton checks out a selection of new large-print books at the Port Townsend Public Library that were purchased with contributions she requested from friends and family in lieu of birthday gifts last summer. Photo by Allison Arthur
Barbara Clayton's 97th birthday in July 2015 proved a boon to the large-print section of the Port Townsend Public Library in January 2016.
An avid reader as well a writer, Clayton decided that for her birthday, in lieu of the usual clothes and chocolates, she'd ask her family to donate to the Friends of the Library group.
And they did.
More than 40 new titles were added to the library's large-print book selection, thanks to Clayton and her friends and family, who donated about $600. That included a $97 contribution from Clayton herself for each year of her life.
“Large-print books are always in high demand in Port Townsend,” said Melody Sky Eisler, library director. “These new titles include a variety of fiction and nonfiction books and best-sellers, which will be available through our Books on Wheels services, as well.”
Clayton was on hand with her son, Mike Cornforth, and daughter-in-law Linda Martin Jan. 12 to check over the selection of books.
Some new titles include “Career of Evil” by Robert Galbraith (better known as J.K. Rowling), “The Magic Strings of Frankie Presto,” by Mitch Albom and “On the Move, A Life” by Oliver Sacks.
Library patrons were already reviewing the selection and wanting to check out the books that day.
The collection of large-print books stands at an even 1,000 now, thanks to the gifts.
Clayton chatted with reporters and Eisler briefly before having her photograph taken with the books.
Clayton delighted her son, Cornforth, when she decided to move from Springfield, Missouri, to Port Townsend six years ago to be closer to him.
Clayton reflected that her time as a reporter for a small weekly newspaper in Missouri was the best time of her life. She held a variety of jobs with that newspaper, which her husband owned, and she remembered covering the city council at one point. Her husband put her straight to work. But he also encouraged her to fulfill her ambitions, which led her to earning a degree in English literature.
At Seaport Landing, a retirement center in Port Townsend where Clayton lives, she's interviewed dozens of residents and has written 44 profiles of them, which have been published in a newsletter.
Asked what her secret was to a long, healthy life, Clayton replied that she has a dog. She said Jacques, a terrier mix, walks her and she walks him, and the two have grown old together.
A special bookplate will commemorate each title purchased with the donations made in Clayton's name.
