SARAH NORMAN
Founding Member of the Friends of the Library…
Born in Midland, Texas and raised in the oilfields of West and East Texas, Sarah Elizabeth Norman graduated from El Dorado High School in Arkansas in 1945 at the age of 16. In 1948 Sarah graduated with a Bachelor of Science from Texas State College for Women, now Texas Women’s University, in Denton at the age of 19.
A lifetime spent in community service, Sarah raised her children and volunteered her time to the PTA, 4-H, Cub Scouts and Band Boosters.
Though Sarah’s family was her first love, the library was the second. In 1982, she was the first president and a founding member of the Friends of the Library. A main focus was advocating for a new library building. On September 13, 1992 that dream was realized when the new library building was dedicated.
She continued to support the library and volunteered almost daily until she could no longer drive. She was honored on October 30, 2019 when the library was renamed Van Zandt County Sarah Norman Library.
We lost our beloved Sarah in 2023, but her literary legacy and community impact will continue to be the bedrock of our organization.