The Arne Nixon Center for the Study of Children's Literature honors ANCA life member, Lydia Jean Kuhn (1944-2018), a long-time friend, librarian and avid fan of the Center who left the Center a generous bequest. Her legacy lives on through her extensive Beatrix Potter and Winne-the-Pooh collections, which she also left to the Center in her bequest. Kuhn had begun donating pieces from her Beatrix Potter collection for the last several years of her life. Many prized collectible books about the English author of Peter Rabbit and friends were included in the gift as were numerous ceramic figurines, plush characters and boxed sets.
Kuhn worked for the Fresno County Library for 33 years before her retirement in 2003. Although she was in charge of Adult Services, she organized several library fundraisers for children and families featuring her favorite storybook characters, Peter Rabbit, Winnie the Pooh, Mother Goose and the Cat in the Hat. Always engaged in the reading community, she was past president of the Fresno branch of American Association of University Women, the Forum, and Friday Club, program vice president of San Joaquin Valley Town Hall, and secretary of the William Saroyan Society.
Lydia Jean Kuhn will always be remembered for her many accomplishments, her Beatrix Potter and Winnie the Pooh collections and her generosity to the Arne Nixon Center.
Books from this collection include:
