Bio for Valley of the Tetons Library Friends Annette White
Meet Annette! I have been a public library patron for as long as I can remember. Walking to the
library in the summertime with my sister and bringing home armloads of books is
a cherished childhood memory. In high school I thought briefly of becoming a
librarian but chose to go into teaching instead. Teaching children to read and
introducing them to good literature was my greatest joy.
Throughout my life and through many moves it has been important to me to find
some way to be of service to my community, and so I have worked with the PTA,
the Boy Scouts and Cub Scouts, a community education foundation, a
community ski education organization, and a local animal shelter. I was also
organized bike safety rodeos for children in conjunction with a bike club and local
law enforcement agencies.
When my husband and I retired we decided to come to Teton Valley, where long
ago, in the summer of 1889, two of my great, great uncles (two brothers) came to
settle in what was to be Victor. They later built a cabin in Victor for their mother
to live in. One of those uncles and my great, great grandmother occupy the two
oldest gravesites in the Victor cemetery. My grandfather was born in Victor and
lived there until he was nine, when the family pulled up stakes and moved “out
below” to establish a farm in Archer Idaho. My husband and I thought that it
would be good to reestablish our tiny branch of the family, and here we are.
Once we had settled in my new/old community I took my time getting to know the
local folks and the local organizations, and I have been greatly impressed by the
giving spirit of the Teton Valley. Of course, one of my first tasks was to acquire
library cards, and I’ve been paying visits to Valley of the Tetons Library ever
since.
Being on the board of VTLF will be a new challenge for me, and will bring me
back around to when I first began walking to libraries as a youngster. I look
forward to working with the Friends to further the mission of the Library, “To
inspire lifelong learning, encourage exploration and creativity and enrich our
community”.