Beloved former library staff member Mary Landt passed away last week at the age of 88. She was the widow of Dr. J. Fred Landt, Oxford College professor of biology for over 30 years.
Mary posing for a library “Read” poster, 2008.
Mary wore many different hats at Oxford College, including secretary to the Dean (see photo below).
Mary working as secretary to the Dean, 1957.
She worked from the early 1980s until 2002 in the library, and after 2002, continued to support the library by working as a volunteer until 2009. Mary was a key player in the transition of the library card catalog to an online system.
Mary standing between current library Dean Kitty McNeill and staff member Jennifer Sirotkin, 1994.
Mary never really “left” the library. She was an avid reader, and frequently stopped by the library to check out multiple books. She was very active in the community, including a local book club.
She always joined the library staff for holiday parties and special lunches, and was a fixture at the faculty/staff year-end “Inspired Performance” celebration, including the most recent
Mary with Professor Emeritus Homer Sharp and his granddaughter, Oxford librarian Jessica Robinson, 2009.
event in April of 2014. Mary was a friend to all of us at the library, frequently inviting each library staff member, regardless of job title or age, to her home on Dowman Street to visit on Friday evenings after work. We will miss her sense of humor, her hospitality, and her amazing recollections about Oxford College.
Mary chatting with Professor Emeritus John Gregory at the new Library and Academic Commons Grand Opening, 2013.
I’m so sorry I’m just hearing about this. I loved Mary so much. She was an incredible and resilient woman, a reader, a comic and a treasure trove of Oxford College history. I’ve said so many times that I want to be Mary when I grow up. She will be missed.