Arizona honors twenty-eight avid talking-book readers
Three centenarian members of Arizona’s 10² Talking-Book Club: (left to right) Edith Cullen, 101; Lena Mae Amacker, 100; and Rose Hampton, 100.
More than two hundred patrons and guests visited the Arizona State Braille and Talking Book Library open house in Phoenix on October 21, 2006, to honor their centenarian readers who are one hundred years or older. Twenty-eight centenarians were recently inducted into the library’s 10² Talking-Book Club.
Linda Montgomery, director of the Arizona State Library Braille and Talking Book Division, presented 10 ² Club certificates , pins, and letters signed by NLS director Frank Kurt Cylke to Lena Mae Amacker, age 100; Edith Cullen, age 101; and Rose Hampton, age 100. The other twenty-five inductees received their awards in the mail.
"We’re especially pleased to honor our twenty-eight centenarians. We are celebrating their lifetime of devotion to reading books," Montgomery said. At the gathering, many of the patrons met their librarians for the first time. Montgomery also read a personal message to the centenarians from television personality Willard Scott of NBC’s morning show Today. "I am encouraged that so many centenarians are taking advantage of the talking-book library programs," Scott wrote.
Amacker and Cullen are book lovers who read up to ten talking books a month, along with the magazines American Heritage, American History, Good Housekeeping, and Reader’s Digest. Amacker enjoys biographies and mysteries, as well as books on religion, science, history, and the American Revolution. Cullen likes modern bestsellers including fiction, romance, and history but said "I avoid books with violence." Hampton is an avid reader of romance novels.
During the event, the Maricopa County elections organization gave demonstrations, distributed braille and large-print materials, and gave away compact discs that provided patrons with information about the touch-screen voting process.
"We also owe thanks to the Arizona Friends of Talking Books for supporting this event and the library volunteers who helped make the day a success," Montgomery concluded.