Queen Anne Branch Named Spaces
Spaces named for donors include: Linda Larson and Gerry Johnson Family Reading Area; Lois and Nelson Anderson & Anne Anderson Questad Children's Area; and the Stuart H. Prestrud Meeting Room.
Linda Larson and Gerry Johnson Family Reading Area
Queen Anne residents Linda Larson and Gerry Johnson believe that public libraries and the free access to information that they provide are essential to our democracy. Larson was a member of the board of trustees for The Seattle Public Library from 1997 to 2006, serving as board president from 2002-2003. She is a former member of The Seattle Public Library Foundation board of directors
Their children, Nora and Peter Johnson, grew up walking to the Queen Anne Branch. The Johnson children began with story times and picture books, then moved on to homework help and reading for pleasure. They lost and replaced many Library cards along the way.
Lois and Nelson Anderson & Anne Anderson Questad Children's Area
Gilbert W. Anderson, longtime library supporter and former president of The Seattle Public Library board of trustees, honors his parents and sister at his childhood branch.
Anderson lived with his parents, grandmother and sister near the Queen Anne Branch for 27 years. His parents were avid readers and the house was full of books. He found refuge in the library, which also was a source of lifelong knowledge and entertainment. As an adult, Anderson continued his interest in libraries by serving on the boards of the Gates Library Foundation and The Seattle Public Library Foundation.
Stuart H. Prestrud Meeting Room
Stuart Prestrud lived in Seattle from his birth in 1919 until he passed away in 2012. In the 1920s, he frequented the Queen Anne Branch. There he pursued an interest in stamp collecting and developed a lifelong love of reading.
Prestrud majored in history at the University of Washington. Reading at the Library and college gave him a broad knowledge and perspective that helped him as a trust officer and in his service to charity and the community.
Reading helped Prestrud form his life's values. He worked with civic leaders and philanthropists, yet never lost the common touch. His public contributions were consistent with his personal ones. An early environmentalist, he aided the Nature Conservancy and the Audubon Society in preserving large and far-flung wildlife areas. He also cleaned up his neighborhoods by picking up trash on his daily walks. Though never rich, he contributed to charity as though he was.
One of his favorite positions was serving as one of the three original members of the board of managers of the Norman Archibald Charitable Foundation, where for 25 years he helped direct grants to organizations great and small throughout the Puget Sound area.
The Norman Archibald Charitable Foundation is a supporter of The Seattle Public Library Foundation's Campaign for Seattle's Libraries. It has chosen to honor Prestrud for his outstanding years of service. The Norman Archibald Charitable Foundation was established to make grants to charitable organizations that provide benefits to the Puget Sound region.