Left to Right (scroll down to see picture): Amy Hardin, Development Director for Libraries; Kristie Lowry, WKU Libraries Literary Outreach Coordinator; Ashley Fowlkes, Assistant Director of Warren County Public Library; Steve Marcum, WCPL Board member; Lisa Rice, Director of WCPL; Jim and Darlene Johnson; Jessica Carver, granddaughter of Jim and Darlene Johnson; Abraham and Mildred Williams, WCPL Board member; Holly Hedden, WCPL; Jayne Pelaski, WCPL and Connie Foster, Interim Dean of WKU Libraries
At the annual Kentucky Library Association Conference held at the Galt House in Louisville on Thursday, September 20, Jim and Darlene Johnson were awarded the prestigious William H. Natcher Award for their contributions to Western Kentucky University Libraries and the Warren County Public Library.
Each year the Kentucky Library Association gives the award to an individual, organization, or corporation who has made a significant philanthropic contribution to Kentucky libraries. The contribution may be monetary, materials, or equipment. The Johnson’s are the first to be recognized from Bowling Green, Kentucky.
“Jim and Darlene have been longtime supporters of WKU Libraries,” says WKU Libraries Interim Dean Connie Foster. “They have been a main supporter of the Southern Kentucky Book Fest for numerous years and other literary outreach events. We can’t thank them enough for their immeasurable support to library programs in South Central Kentucky.”