Lillian DesMarias
“Whatever the task, ingenuity and persistence have been her hallmark.” Library Board, Jan. 3, 1980 Constitution-Tribune. Lillian received her B.S. in Business Administration and her Master’s in Library Science in the 1930s. She worked for several libraries, including the Missouri State Library. From 1970 through 1979 Lillian was Director of the Livingston County Memorial Library in Chillicothe, Missouri. An elevator (1976) and covered ramp (1978) were installed during her tenure. She was told she could not make the basement into useable space for children. She not only did just that, she completed some of the brick work herself. Lillian was editor of the local history book Celebrating 150 Years in Livingston County 1831-1981. She died in 2012 at the age of 99, bestowing some of her estate to the Library. The Livingston County Library Charitable Trust was subsequently formed to manage this endowment with the primary goal of providing enhanced library services and programs.
Her story was also submitted to the National Trust - Where Women Made History at https://savingplaces.org/where-women-made-history#shareyourplace.
Sources: Chillicothe Constitution-Tribune newspapers, unpublished Library history by Earl Teegarden c.1979 on file at the Livingston County Library.