AGNES HENEBRY

Agnes is busy organizing a SLA newspaper division chapter for St. Peter.

She’s well suited for the role. Jim Scofield summed it up when he said "Agnes helped us all. Then she cheered us on to accomplishment. She taught us brilliantly, excelling with her sterling personal example of dedication, competence and professionalism. She inspired newcomers, encouraged veteran colleagues and brightly illumined our chosen calling. She never forgot us and we shall never forget her."

I first met Agnes in 1960 at Syracuse University where I arrived at the age of 23, nervous and yet anxious to learn from the experts as I was soon to take over as Head Librarian of the Winston-Salem, N.C. Journal and Sentinel.

Agnes took me under her wing immediately. She was a positive influence on everyone who knew her. The newspaper division of SLA honored her with our first Joseph C. Kwapil Memorial Award. In making the presentation Homer Martin pointed out that she was the only active member of our division who knew Joseph F. Kwapil, the founder of this organization. She occupied a position of respect and affection in our division which is unparalleled and unprecedented.

Agnes was born in Macon County, Illinois, one of five children of John E. and Juliann Henebry. Following graduation from Decatur High School, she began her career in the library of Decatur Daily Review, becoming librarian in 1930. After the consolidation of the Decatur newspapers in 1931 to 1945, and subsequently served as librarian for 28 years. In 1973, Agnes was promoted to Office Operations Assistant for Lindsay-Schaub Newspapers where she supervised the operation of eight newspaper libraries and six dispatch rooms.

She had a Bachelor of Arts degree from Millikin University and studied library science and related subjects at the universities of Illinois and Wisconsin and Columbia University.

Agnes joined this division in 1932 and compiled a record of service unmatched in duration, scope and volume. She served with distinction on committee after committee and held all divisional offices. She was the chairman of this division in 1948-49 during which year the first regular divisional bulletin was started. She has been division archivist and preserved for us the record of the history and development of this organization.

From 1960 to 1963 she was co-conductor with the late Matt Redding of the Communications Librarians workshops at Syracuse University. She attended the API Newspaper Library Seminar in 1967, and was a discussion leader for the one in 1971. She was the prime mover as well as the co-coordinator of two Newspaper Library Seminars held at the annual conference of SLA in 1973 and 1974, seminars which were crucial to our present position and prominence as a division within SLA. In addition, Agnes was an author and served as a member of the Editorial Board for the Guidelines for Newspaper Librarians published by ANPA in 1974.

A moving tribute from a colleague sums up the feeling of her hundreds of friends in the division.

"When God created messengers of good tidings, He made an error in the Name. He should have spelled it AGNES, not ANGEL. We in the Newspaper Division have for years looked to Agnes when we had problems to be solved, when we had solutions to evaluate, when we had sorrows to bear, when we had pleasures to share. Indeed, Agnes was somewhat of a Mother Superior to us – a gentle, kind one, capable of administering, a rebuke that did not hurt; tenacious enough to hold to what she thinks is right; gracious enough to concede when she finds she is in error; and wise enough to know the difference. We shall remember her always…"

 

Reporter’s Friend
From Dr. Emil Dansker
Associate Professor
School of Journalism
Bolling Green State University
Bolling Green, OH

I must have met Agnes Henebry no more than a day or two after joining The Decatur Daily Review in November 1955 fresh out of the Marine Corp.

I must have met her that soon because my professors at Northwestern had instilled in me an obsession for checking and re-checking and for backgrounding and for using all the tools available for the purpose, including – if you were lucky enough to locate on a newspaper that had a decent one – the library.

The Decatur newspapers had such a library, and the credit had to go to Agnes and her caring and innovative spirit, her professionalism and her ability to draw from those around her – her bosses, her staff and the editors and reporters who used her library with a degree of respect of the sort afforded to one who had earned a solid role on the team as opposed to the toleration afforded a necessary nuisance.

Somehow, we rarely called her library a morgue because, I think, it was not a collection of lifeless and elusive clips but a living compendium of the stuff of which stories are made and re-made in the Journalistic history of community.

Agnes Henebry built her library to be used, and used it was, and from it went new and usually better ways of doing the job until her influence was felt far beyond what one might have expected from the custodian of the clippings in a medium sized midwestern operation.

I’ve worked on three metropolitan dailies since leaving Decatur in 1960 and I’ve visited the libraries of more other newspapers than I can remember.

But everywhere the librarians know Agnes.

And they know what they owe her. And so do I.

 

Librarian’s Friend
From Diane Miller
Pantagraph
Bloomington, IL

When I became head librarian of the Pantagraph in Bloomington, Illinois, I was told by the retiring librarian that there was a librarian in Decatur, Illinois, whom she believed was active in the newspaper division of Special Libraries Association. She had never joined the organization but she thought I might be interested. I was on the phone the next day calling that librarian in Decatur. That was probably one of the most important calls I have made during my nine years as librarian at the Pantagraph.

The call was to Agnes Henebry. Agnes not only told me all about the division and encouraged me to attend conferences but she invited me to visit her library. I was soon at Decatur and met Agnes. Her enthusiasm and love of her job was apparent from the beginning and before the day was over, I knew that I had made a good friend.

Agnes guided me through my first conference, making sure I was introduced and made to feel welcome. We were able to fly together to several conferences and share experiences as we traveled. When I had a library problem, I called Agnes. And she flattered me from time to time by asking my advice. Agnes was like that. I am working on a library project right now and I would love to call Agnes and discuss my problems. I miss her. But I believe that her wonderful interest and dedication in newspaper libraries will live on in all of us who had the chance to be her friend.

 

From Barbara Semonche
The Herald-Sun Newspaper Library
Durham, NC

"Agnes is held in the highest possible esteem and affection not only for her inestimable contributions to newspaper librarianship, but for the warmth, grace and kindness that was characteristic of her dealing with everyone…including neophyte librarians such as myself. I still warmly recall Agnes coming up to me after my first speech at a recent conference to tell me how much she enjoyed the presentation. No other compliment meant as much to me as Agnes’ that day. She was a special librarian, a special lady who has a special place in my heart."

 

From Lou Thomas
State Times and Advocate Newspaper Library
Baton Rouge, LA

"The things I remember most about Agnes are her ready smile, her sense of humor and cheerful attitude towards people and life. She loved her family and her friends and was devoted to both. What nicer thing to remember about someone. I honestly believe after family, church and friends, the newspaper division was her next love, like an extension of family."

Agnes Henebry (second from left) is pictured visiting the Los Angeles Times library during the 1949 convenetion.
Shown with her (left to right) are Louise Brown, Clevland; Agnes, Decatur; Joe Molloy, Philadelphia;
Ralph Reed, Chicago; Romeo Carraro, Los Angeles; and Milt Prensky, Washington, DC.

Agnes Henebry at the 1954 SLA conference celebrating the then Newspaper Division's 30th anniversary.

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