St. Philip’s own Marsha Dean Phelts honored at the Jacksonville Public Library – St. Philip's Episcopal Church

The Jacksonville Public Library Foundation provides naming opportunities at the library and strives to match philanthropic donors with projects representative of their values. This past Saturday, Marsha Phelts was honored at the Public Library Downtown for the generous donation she made to the Jacksonville Public Library Foundation in memory of her mom, Eva Rosier Lamar who introduced her to the world of reading.

Setting her own sights on becoming a librarian, Marsha attended Edward Waters College and graduated from Florida A&M University with a Bachelor’s Degree with a Major in Library Science. She spent a 30 year career serving as a librarian in Duval County public schools, colleges, and in Jacksonville Public Library’s Genealogy Department for 10 years. Along the way she has chronicled the history of American Beach—Florida’s first African American beach, a place she has called home for the past 30 years. We here at St. Philip’s are also indebted to her for recording our own history as a parish.

Finally, Marsha’s goal this year is to finish a historical book about Sugar Hill, a section of Jacksonville that was originally inhabited by prominent and affluent black families, who founded that community in 1914!

“The library is my life,” she said. “Giving back to a library that has given me the quality of my life is easy. It’s putting your money where your mouth is.” – Marsh Dean Phelts

CONGRATULATIONS MARSHA, ST. PHILIP’S IS PROUD OF YOU.