[StBernard] St. Bernard Receives 2,500 Books

[Westley Annis]

A donation of 2,500 library books for St. Bernard Parish has been made
because of a fortuitous connection that involved a parish man, a friend of
his in Virginia and someone with ties to a Virginia community college's
friends of the library board.
St. Bernard Parish President Henry "Junior'' Rodriguez said parish
government  appreciates the donation from Rappahannock Community College in
Warsaw, Va., and said will be turned over to the parish library board to
make plans for their use.
 
The donation was arranged by Jim Hasik, a member of the parish's Planning
Commission and a retired professional bass fishermen who was told by a
friend in Virginia that someone at the community college wanted to donate
library books.
Stanley Obier, who runs Pride of Virginia Trucking and Seafood Co. in
Callao, Va., and does business in the Gulf Coast area, told Hasik about the
books available.
 
Obier said he has a friend, Catherine Courtney, who is a member of the
friends of the library at Rappahannock Community College and she mentioned
the books to him.
"She asked me about giving away the books,'' said Obier, who arranged for
his company to have the books trucked down to Chalmette at his expense.
 
"We boxed them up and got them to you,'' Obier said. He said he was glad to
pay for the expense of hauling it. "We feel your pain,'' Obier said of the
rebuilding effort in St. Bernard Parish.
 
Catherine Courtney said the library was "delighted to have (St. Bernard) get
them.''
 
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