In 2005, community members installed “The Writer’s Desk,” a sculpture in Rolfe Neill’s honor in front of ImaginOn: The Joe and Joan Martin Center, a place close to his heart. Image: Peter Taylor.

We lost a true Library champion.

Smart, charming, and kind Rolfe Neill was the guy you wanted in your corner. With his sharp wit and fierce convictions, he knew his place in the world was to make it better for everyone else.

Rolfe, best known for being the publisher of The Charlotte Observer, passed away this past weekend at 90. He was dedicated to reporting the truth and upholding intellectual freedom. Naturally, being a steadfast Library supporter wasn’t a big leap.

Rolfe dropped by our office last summer, right before his cancer diagnosis. He wanted to be inside ImaginOn again, sit down with the team, and learn more about the new Main Library project. He was eager to be a part of the next generation of libraries.

But he was equally interested in me and my team. He wanted to know what brought each of the Foundation staff members to Library fundraising. He asked me about my new role as a mother, and if it had changed me. And like any gifted storyteller he delighted us with tales of old Charlotte, how he and others were able to make so many impactful decisions that are still felt today. I don’t think it would be an overstatement to say he ignited the incredible growth we’ve seen in Charlotte over the last 30 years.

As we were ending our conversation, I asked if there were any decisions that he and his colleagues regretted. He said he’s never been asked that before and had to think about it. I never got the answer.

Read the news today and you’ll see libraries nationwide are under fire. I wish I could pick up the phone and ask Rolfe “what should we do?”

While he’s not here to guide us anymore, the words he left behind will have to suffice:

“On its worst days, the world is full of much more good than evil, more kindness than contempt, and more hope than resignation. Otherwise, we could not long continue the struggle called Life.”

I will miss my dear friend and the light he brought to our city.

With gratitude,

Jenni Gaisbauer, CFRE
Executive Director

P.S. If you’d like to learn more about Rolfe Neill, there are two excellent articles about his life here and here.