Charles Everett Rush 1885-1958

Today (March 23) is the 125th anniversary of the birth of Charles Everett Rush. Rush began his library career as a library assistant at Earlham College in 1904 and retired as Director of the Library of the University of North Carolina in 1954. In between he held a number of library administrative posts, both public and academic. He directed the public libraries of Jackson, MI; St. Joseph, MO; Des Moines, IA; Indianapolis, IN; and Cleveland, OH. He served as Associate Librarian of Yale University and Director of Libraries for the Teachers College of Columbia University. Rush took a leave as Director of the Indianapolis Public Library in 1918 to work for the Library War Service of the American Library Association (ALA). Rush was active in ALA and other library associations and served as Vice-President of ALA (1931-32). A biographical entry for Rush by Robert L. Logsdon appears in the Dictionary of American Library Biography. A photograph of Rush is located HERE. The American Library Association Archives contains some of Rush's papers. The envelope above was mailed from the Yale University Library to the Stadtbiliothek in Frankfurt, Germany on January 30, 1935 while Rush was Associate Librarian.