THE KIBLER LIBRARY
The William "Bill" Kibler Memorial Library is an all-volunteer organization serving Stanley and the surrounding area. Formerly a part of the Massanutten Regional Library, it was closed in 2010 for financial reasons. The Town of Stanley then formed a library board with the intent of reopening the library. The reopening effort required many hours of volunteer labor and thousand of dollars of donations. But just seven months later, in April 2011, the library was offically opened and dedicated in honor of Bill Kibler who generously bequeathed his entire estate to the Town of Stanley in order to open a small library.
The library is staffed by volunteers with much help from numerous members of the community.
Please read the stories of Bill Kibler and our founding director, Beth Good, below.
Board of Trustees
Terry Wiita | President |
Jeanne Cave | Vice-President |
Lori Hassett | Treasurer |
Brenda Dodson | Secretary |
Pat Callahan | |
Brenda Dodson | |
Penny Gray | |
Kurt Metzger | |
Judi Petefish | |
Morgan Phenix |
William Sumpter Kibler (1912-2002)
Born September 20, 1911 near the start of the 20th century, William Sumpter Kibler was destined to live into the 21st Century and to record much of his life in a unique daily journal.
That journal essentially tells the story of how a highly intelligent and well-educated man viewed the world, mostly the environs of the small town of Stanley, but extending to many parts of the U.S. and to Europe, South America and Asia through his many travels. Along the way, Mr. Kibler collected thousands of books, photographs, color slides, artworks, and other materials.
Mr. Kibler's parents, Rufus F. Kibler and Julia Shuter Kibler Koontz, were well-known Page County residents at the time of Stanley's founding in the early 1900s.
Bill, as he was known to his family and many friends and associates, attended Stanley Elementary School and graduated from Stanley High School in 1928. He earned a bachelor's degree from the University of Virginia in 1932. He started post-graduate studies at Harvard University and, after some years of teaching, received a master's degree at the famed Ivy League institution in 1951
His first teaching assignment in the 1930s was at a one-room school in Cubbage Hollow. He taught seven years at Shenandoah High School before serving two years as a principal at Grove Hill Elementary School. In 1943 he was drafted into the U.S. Army. He earned a medal for his overseas service during the World War II Battle of the Bulge.
Bill worked for the Armed Forces Security Agency during the Korean War, intercepting and translating messages. An English teacher at Florida Southern College for three years, he completed his teaching career with six years at Columbia Preparatory School in Washington, D. C.
He was the author of two books and an avid world traveler, starting in the 1960s.
Bill Kibler wrote his last journal entry April 16, 2002. He died that June 3 at age 90. He bequeathed his entire estate to the town of Stanley to establish a small library. The generosity of this gift is recognized in the name of the WIlliam "Bill" Kibler Memorial Library, 140 East Main Street, Stanley, VA 22851.
By John D. Wainbright, Jr.
Retired editor, Page News and Journal, Luray, VA
Beth Good (1958-2018)
Kibler Library, Founding Director
Beth Good was Kibler Library’s founding director. Beginning in 2011, just after Stanley Library was closed by the Massanutten Regional Library, Beth did most of the administrative heavy lifting required to ready the library to re-open as the independent, all-volunteer William “Bill” Kibler Memorial Library.
A hard worker all her life, Beth excelled academically and vocationally. She was a member of the National Honor Society at Page County High School, graduating at the top of her class. After graduation, Beth worked her way up through the ranks of ARA-Virginia Skyline (later, Aramark), eventually becoming general manager for lodging in Shenandoah National Park.
All her life, Beth was a voracious reader. So, when she retired, Beth was happy to take up the cause of turning the shutdown Stanley Library into the Kibler Library. She ordered and accessioned new books, created and set up the checkout system, and generally got the newly opened library in prime working order. Never one for loving the spotlight, Beth nevertheless worked tirelessly – and we do mean tirelessly, as was her custom – behind the scenes, overseeing not just the new library’s set-up, but also administration, events, and Kibler Library’s immensely popular fundraising dinners.
Kibler Library owes much, indeed its very existence, to Beth Good. We are eternally grateful for her excellent founding direction and meticulous but gentle guidance. If you’re in the area, stop by Kibler Library to visit the Beth Good Reading Room and enjoy Beth’s memorial stained-glass window.
