#reading journal

Dan Pelzer, who died on July 1 at the age of 92, left his friends and family a 109-page list of all the books he’s read since 1962.

Though Pelzer’s family considered distributing the list at his funeral, they realized it was far too long to share in that way. So instead, they scanned the list and created a website sharing his reads called, What Dan Read.

In a post shared on the Columbus Metropolitan Library’s Facebook page, Pelzer’s daughter, Marci, wrote, “ALL of his books were Columbus Metropolitan Library books. Nobody loved the library more than Dan.”

“When we were little, he took us to the downtown library every Saturday morning and enrolled us in every summer reading program,” Marci shared with the library. “He was a regular at the Livingston and then Whitehall branches until he could no longer read. I'm sure he would be among your highest circulation and longest term borrowers.”

In Dan’s obituary, the family asked that in place of flowers, donations be made to Kinship Community Food Center, adding, “You could also honor Dan by reading ‘a real page turner.’ ”