Deb Olson Linday
Joy and I shared a love and appreciation for old children's books, as well as for the natural world.
I'll never forget the first time I visited Western Publishing's library archives, which Joy curated at the time. Although I was there for a legitimate business research issue, she seemed suspicious of my intentions. But who could blame her - she was a passionate protector of Western's history and was used to people not giving the irreplaceable decades-old items in the collection the respect she felt they deserved. With repeated visits we got to know each other and discussed old ABC books (circa 1900) and the peculiar ways they chose to teach kids the alphabet. She shared anecdotes about Western's earlier years, we chatted about birds and wildlife conservation, and although separated by 40 years we formed an unlikely friendship.
In spite of not having seen her since the 80's, I am truly sad to hear that my old friend is gone.
I hope heaven is full of all the books and animals you could ever hope for, Joy -
Deb Olson Linday