A rededication to reading: Kothe Memorial Library marks 50 years with statue unveiling

A large group of Parkersburg residents both past and present gathered for the 50-year rededication of the Kothe Memorial Library on Monday, and a sculpture honoring the late Verna Klinkenborg was unveiled to the crowd.

The stainless steel sculpture, created by Parkersburg’s own Dawn Tuve, weighs in at around 4,000 pounds and features pages of a book and a bird—a few of Klinkenborg’s favorite things. The longtime nurse and former CEO of Sartori Hospital in Cedar Falls, who passed away in 2013 at the age of 77, was an active member of the library board and a pillar in the community.

Three of Klinkenborg’s four sons—Paul, Sam and Charlie—were in attendance, and they all agreed that Tuve did an incredible job on the sculpture. Funding came from the Verna Klinkenborg Memorial Fund and the Frerichs Trust.

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