The Fruit of Forward-Thinking, The Blanchard Community Library Endowment Fund

By Edward Arguelles

Blanchard Community Library Endowment co-founder, the Honorable Justice Edwin Beach, once said “There can be no greater example of the effectiveness of our democratic society than the contributions our public schools and libraries make to our people”.

   Thirty-two years ago the idea of establishing an endowment to support the library was launched by he and wife Janet, Carl and Cathy Barringer, along with a small gathering of significant others. Three years later, on March 20th, 1987, the Blanchard Community Library Endowment was incorporated and its board members selected. When it began, the Endowment’s purpose was to raise and manage funds for the Blanchard Library through special events, letter writing campaigns and contributions.  Both Ed Beach and Carl Barringer guided the board from its inception until their passing but their caring leadership and legacy of community service, though very much missed, remains steadfastly intact by their successors.

Since 2001, proceeds from the interest and dividends earned each year on investments managed by its Board have enabled the Endowment Fund to give $282,065.00 to the community library including a gift in the sum of $23,475.88 in 2016—clearly making the genius and fruits of forward thinking a very successful reality.