Former Stone County Library Board Member
Recognized For Years Of Service
Jim Huy with current board members: From left: Angie Evans, Craig Swenty (Treasurer), Jim Hu, Steve Seaton (Vice-President), and George Scott (President).
Kadee Brosseau DeCourley
Jim Huy served on the Stone County Library Board for more than eight years. Last week, he was recognized for those years of service.
“He stepped down from our board this year, so we were able to get a resolution pushed through, so we presented that to him along with a certificate from the county commissioners. It was all to recognize the years of service he had toward the library,” Stone County Library Director Rebecca Payne said.
Huy said the resolution and the recognition came as a surprise.
“I didn’t anticipate anything like that, and I appreciate it. It was a very nice gesture. It is something that will remind me of all the good times we had,” Huy said.
Huy moved to the Stone County area about 20 years ago. He spent a large part of his career working for the federal government and executive management.
“After my undergraduate degree, I was recruited by the Centers for Disease Control and sent back to school and trained by them. I spent 30 years with the CDC,” Huy explained.
Payne said Huy’s past experiences allowed him to bring a valuable set of skills to the library board.
“He has a background in government organizations. He was a county commissioner here in Stone County. Prior to that, he worked for the CDC,” Payne said. “So, he has a lot of background in those types of positions. He was very good at making sure that the library was doing what it needed to be doing to serve people. One of his big things was making sure that whatever decisions were made were going to benefit everybody.”
Huy said he certainly wasn’t the only person to bring a particular set of skills to the board. He said he enjoyed working with others on the board to help make the library system in Stone County the best it could be.
“We all brought different kinds of expertise and were able to use resources to make a really top-notch library system, as good as you’ll find anywhere in the country. For a county this size, in fact, it’s probably one of the top ones,” Huy said.
During his about eight years on the board, Huy was instrumental in making several significant changes happen to the library system.
“He filled the role of treasurer for most of his time on the board here. So, he played a large part in planning the finances. He was on the board when we opened our Blue Eye branch. He was also on the board when we renovated Crane,” Payne said.
Huy said he is proud to have been a part of helping Stone County establish three library locations that all offer valuable resources to Stone County communities.
“Most small counties are lucky if they even have one,” Huy said.
Since Huy stepped down earlier this year, his position on the library board has been filled. However, Huy still has hopes for the future of the library and for the people who are now in charge.
“Dream big. There is nothing that you can’t do if you plan together and find out how you can optimize the resources that you have and apply them in the correct manner,” Huy said.
For the people of Stone County, Huy also has hopes.
“I hope everybody uses the library. It doesn’t cost anything. It’s paid for as a part of your county taxes. It’s available to everybody. I just encourage everybody to use it,” Huy said. “There is always something going on to teach or involve people other than just what a library does. It is an education resource center for the county.”
The Stone County Library has branches in Crane, Galena, and Blue Eye.