Girl Scout leader, mentor, librarian, community leader, gourmet cook, gardener, guardian of the arts and literacy, wife, mother, grandmother, great grandmother, visionary: Murray’s Margaret Trevathan has worn many hats over the years, so it was no surprise that scores of admirers gathered at the Calloway County Public Library to celebrate the many ways she has inspired folks of all ages.
As of 1 p.m. Friday afternoon, the Children’s Room of Murray’s renovated and expanded library is officially named in honor of Margaret Trevathan, in recognition of her unstinting dedication and leadership.
Although she retired from her post as the library’s executive director in 1990, her devotion to literacy and lifelong learning was evident long before 1951, when she moved to Murray. Her commitment to libraries goes back to her hometown in Alexandria, Indiana, where her Great Aunt Matilda had helped to start the city’s library.
“I spent most of my time there,” Margaret said in a 2018 interview in which she described those vivid and happy girlhood memories.
As a newcomer to Murray, the story goes, she went looking for the local library and discovered a couple of rooms of books behind a local dental office.
“There were a lot of Golden Books and World Book Encyclopedias, and there was a little green bookmobile,” she said.
Margaret ended up commandeering the bookmobile around Calloway and Marshall County. “I never loved anything like I loved taking books to children and adults too,” she said.
Her son, Kim Trevathan, a noted writer, shared an early bookmobile memory with the audience on Friday. In the days before seatbelts, he recalled a collision with the dashboard of that very same bookmobile and the resulting gash on his forehead while his mother was at the wheel.
“It was the first time she had driven a stick,” he said.
“Every day in the bookmobile I met different people,” he went on. “I became convinced that being a bookmobile driver was my dream job.”
When Mignon Rutledge — the library’s current executive director — spoke, she explained that Margaret had hired her to work at the library when Mignon was 14.
“I learned so much from her,” Rutledge said. “She showed me how to build community relationships.”
Trevathan set an example for establishing relationships and getting things done in more than one capacity. As board chair of Kentucky Arts Council, she made an impression all over the commonwealth, advocating for the arts and presiding over the distribution of funds to arts organizations and artists.
According to former KAC staffer Linda Sperath, Margaret facilitated daylong meetings across the commonwealth.
“She was very fair and insisted projects should be funded on their merits,” Sperath recalled. She also mentioned Margaret’s sense of style.
“She was always impeccably dressed in suits with just the right jewelry and scarves.”
In an interview last week, a former executive director of Murray’s Playhouse in the Park, Richard Valentine, reminisced about Margaret’s role in launching the community theatre in the 1980s. Describing the theatre at that time as “nomadic,” he remembered when shows premiered at the library and then toured the schools.
“We paraded around the county producing plays in schools, church basements, libraries, livestock expo pavilions, and abandoned, dusty old freight depots.”
When the depot in downtown Murray was available for a mere dollar, the challenge was how to transport it to the park. According to one story, Margaret’s husband, Ben, knew of a fellow who had moved many structures in western Kentucky when dams were constructed, and communities relocated.
Despite persistent efforts, Margaret could not get in touch with him by phone. When she learned that he frequented an eatery in Hardin, she got up early and went to meet him in person. As a result, the depot was moved across town in three sections, not a simple task.
Over the years, Margaret has continued to make new friends while cherishing those she had over the years. Betsy Flynn, retired banking CEO, met Margaret in the summer of 2012. “I was so impressed when we met,” Flynn remarked. “We got so close in a short while. Margaret is my hero and my inspiration.”
Surrounded by family and friends for the dedication of the Children’s Room, Margaret Trevathan thanked those assembled at the library in her honor. With grace and good humor she declared, “We finally have books and a building that represent Calloway County.”
Referring to a book given to her by a long-standing admirer, she explained that her words were heartfelt and that there is no end when we look at how far we have come.
Ending her remarks in that spirit, Margaret concluded, “I’m not done. I will be in this library for a long time.”