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E.P. mother's gift to library made in daughter's memory By ALBERTO ENRIQUEZ EAGLE POINT -- An $80,000 gift to the Jackson County Library has been made as a memorial to Sarah Ann Mercer, an Eagle Point honor student killed in an auto accident two years ago. "What else am I going to do with her inheritance?" Carole Mercer, her mother, said Tuesday. "I want to make sure my daughter is remembered. You go into public buildings and see pictures of stern old men. I think there should be pictures of other people than stern old men." Ronnie Budge, Jackson County Library director, said the donation had been made in the form of a Medford home appraised at $80,000. "I'm just really, really pleased," Budge said Tuesday. "We cannot actually expand the Eagle Point library on the current site, but the hope is that this gift can be used to acquire land." Mercer said the library had been an aid to her daughter's scholarship. Sarah spent countless hours there before leaving the valley for the University of California at Santa Cruz. The university was grooming her as a Rhodes scholar when the 19-year-old was struck by a car and killed while jogging. Mother and daughter had shared a passion for reading and enjoyed visiting the library. After her only daughter's death, the library -- and caring librarians -- again came to the aid of the family with resources on grieving and an understanding ear. "That's when I began to realize I wasn't alone," Mercer said. Mercer said many of the grieving parents she had met through library resources shared a common need that their children be remembered. A contribution to a community library can make an especially meaningful memorial. "They've all said, `Oh my God, what a good idea!' when I've told them about this," Mercer said. "Not everybody can donate a house, but they're all making memorial contributions in their areas. Anyone can donate a book. You just need to go in and find out about what books they need." Mail Tribune Copyright � The Mail Tribune 1999, Medford, Oregon USA