U of M honors librarian retiree

He became the first African-American librarian at The U of M when he started his 32-year career as a catalog librarian in 1969. He lost his hearing after he incurred auditory nerve damage while serving a brief stint in the U.S. Army in the 1960s.

Although Tolbert retired in February of this year due to kidney failure, a reception was held in his honor at the University Center Tuesday.

Tolbert revealed that the secret to his ability to overcome his hardships is his spirituality and determination not to let his disability stand in the way.

Tolbert, a member of the Church of God in Christ, has been devoted to God since he was born on Aug. 21, 1939.

“My mother didn’t think she could have children,” Tolbert said. “So she went to the Mason Temple and prayed to Father Christmas and Elder Saint Samuel, national evangelists for the church. They told her she would have a son. I was born, and she dedicated me to God’s service for all my life.”

Tolbert has served as the National Archivist for his church since 1986. Through this position, he worked to have Mason Temple, the temple where Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. gave his last speech, put on the National Register of Historic Places in Washington, D.C.

“Now that I’m retiring, I’ll have more time to serve my church,” Tolbert said. “One of my main concerns is to make sure I get into Heaven. So I’m going to stay in contact with God.”

Tolbert’s mother also played an key role in finding his “help-mate,” as he refers to his wife, Magnolia Nan Tolbert.

“My mother met my wife in 1968. Then my wife stayed with my sister the following year, so they introduced me to her,” Tolbert said. “My mother thought Magnolia was a nice young lady and wanted me to marry her. I love my wife. She is a help-mate in the truest sense of the word.”

According to Tolbert, his mother was instrumental in helping Tolbert get his education, as well.

“My father died my last year in high school, and my mom encouraged both of my sisters and I to attend college,” Tolbert said. “That led to one of the proudest things that I’ve done, which was to put my own three children, Alisa, Carla and Odie III, through college.”

According to Carla Tolbert, there was no question about whether or not she and her siblings would follow in their father’s footsteps.

“My father automatically expected that we were going to college when we graduated from high school,” said Carla, 27. “And I thank God he instilled that in us.”

Their father’s disability also influenced his childrens’ career choices, according to Alisa Tolbert, a speech pathologist.

“The reason I chose this career is because I saw how diligent and steadfast my father was about communicating in an unconventional way, and I wanted to help others in the same position,” said Alisa, 30.

Odie Tolbert III, 23, said his father made a good example for his children by finishing college himself.

“He was an example to us because, although his mother didn’t have the money to finance his education, he got scholarships and finished anyway,” Odie III said.

This kind of determination is spread throughout Tolbert’s life.

“He is very persistent,” said Magnolia Tolbert, his wife of 32 years. “Odie let’s nothing stand in his way.”

Tolbert graduated from Manassas High School in 1957 and went on to obtain a music scholarship to Owen Junior College, from which he graduated in 1959 with an A.A. in General Education.

“Before I lost my hearing, I loved to sing. I loved to raise my voice for God,” Tolbert said about his music.

Tolbert went on to obtain a B.A. in Social Science from LeMoyne College (now LeMoyne-Owen College) in 1962 and an M.A. in Library Science from Northern Illinois University in 1969. In 1994, he was awarded an honorary Doctor of Humanities Degree from Trinity Hall College and Seminary.

“Odie never let his disability get him down. It was a strength to him, pushing him to go forward and to do things he wanted to do,” said Library Assistant Clockis Cowan, a co-worker of Tolbert’s for 18 years.

Tolbert published a Martin Luther King bibliography in 1983, and he wrote letters and spoke with legislators to obtain funds for the new McWherter Library. This year, he and Charles Williams, the former head of the African-American Studies department, are publishing a 20-year black studies bibliography.

Working as a cataloger demands a lot of attention to detail because catalogers produce bibliographic information about books in several national standards, according to Ann Denton, head of the Cataloging Department.

“Odie had to know the sets of information needed for each standard. There are very specific ways that information has to be recorded. It takes a lot of attention. Odie was very good at it and very productive.”

Bob Ivey, assistant head of cataloging and a co-worker of Tolbert’s for 15 years, agrees that Tolbert is an excellent worker.

“He was one of the most productive members of the department,” Ivey said. “He won’t be easy to replace.”

Library Assistant Joann Waddell, a co-worker of Tolbert’s for 16 years, agrees that Tolbert will be missed.

“He had a great sense of humor. I’ll miss his laughter the most. You could hear him laugh all over the office.”