Archive: Around Town

Susan Rosenkoetter

She is one of the most active volunteers at the library, spearheading programs and getting children to love reading. She is also involved in reading programs in the schools. Ms. Rosenkoetter is sponsoring award-winning author Gordon Korman's visit to the Lansing Schools this month, largely at her own expense. After retiring she established the Davis Rosenkoetter Memorial Fund in honor her mother, Dorothy Davis Rosenkoetter, to bring Lansing teachers to various national conferences on reading and literacy.

Susan RosenkoetterIn recent years she has brought teachers to Atlanta, Denver, Baltimore and San Francisco, where they met such luminaries as Judy Blume and Lois Lowry and saw presentations by Julie Andrews, Dave Barry and many popular authors of books for young adults. Some of the teachers who have gone on these trips are June Martin, Cathy Mosely, Denise Kaminsky, Lisa Peter, Jim Bedore, Judy Hinterliter and Brenda Meade. These teachers shared their experiences with their students, making their classes richer for the experience.

She is probably best known around town as "Miss Susan" as she shares her love of reading with the community's children. She starts with the Kindergarten children, making sure all their classes get to visit the library and during this visit the children get their first library card. She follows up with the older grades as the children progress through school.

Susan RosenkoetterHer bubbling enthusiasm is catching, and you can't help but want to see what reading is all about when you are with her. The Summer Reading Program was a big success this year with 118 local children reading over 1,000 books. While she was the first one to spread the credit for the program, all the others involved confided that she was the driving force.

Mr. Wadell writes, "We nominate Susan for Star of the Month because of her ongoing work with the youth of Lansing. She has organized the Summer Reading Program since the Lansing Library opened, participated in the Town of Lansing summer camp program, does book talks at Lansing Middle School and story times with Lansing elementary students. She also takes her turn with story time on Fridays at the library."

Susan RosenkoetterJoni Geiger reports that Ms. Rosenkoetter has been involved with the Rec Department summer camp for the two years she has been leading it, and for years before that. "Mrs. Rosenkoetter brings a bag full of books and does short book talks on each one," she says, "getting the children curious and excited about books. The children fill her with such joy as she interacts with them. I hope we have the opportunity to enjoy her visits with the children in our community for many years to come."

Former Town of Lansing Supervisor Harris B. Dates, a former classmate of Ms. Rosenkoetter, writes, "I remember Susan as an inquisitive intellectual student in the Lansing School. She was blessed with the love of books and reading. With her sparkling energy and personality it is no wonder that she had a very successful career in the Rochester Library System. The Town of Lansing is most fortunate that she has become a volunteer in the Lansing Library. With her effort, dedication and enthusiasm she is a real asset. This helps the community to become a better place in which to live, work and raise a family."

Susan Rosenkoetter