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0 of 3 Premium Clicks used this month SUBSCRIBE Print + Online Subscriber Activation | Register x Forgot Password | Need an Account? e-edition | subscribe | newsletter | deals Classifieds Jobs Autos Real Estate FEATURED » NEWS NOW One of the 'Brilliant 10' ... Mail Tribune 100, Nov. 17, 1915 ... Cramped for space ... One of the 'Brilliant 10' ... Mail Tribune 100, Nov. 17, 1915 ... Cramped for space ... EAGLE POINT Little library honors Eagle Point mayor's late wife Debbie Russell loved children and loved reading Comment By Buffy Pollock for the Mail Tribune MailTribune.com By Buffy Pollock for the Mail Tribune Posted Nov. 16, 2015 at 12:01 AM By Buffy Pollock for the Mail Tribune Posted Nov. 16, 2015 at 12:01 AM » Social News EAGLE POINT — Debbie Russell is remembered for her love of children, education and reading. Now the former co-owner of the Butte Creek Mill will also be remembered as the namesake of the city's first Little Free Library. "Debbie's Little Free Library," with a tall door and a handmade copper rooftop, flanked by stained glass windows and a tiny porch, was installed last week at the historic Butte Creek Mill she ran with her husband, Mayor Bob Russell, over the past decade. Debbie Russell passed away Sept. 20 at the age of 64, after a long battle with cancer. While plans are still under way for a memorial garden in Russell's honor, Central Point resident Myron Hauser, a friend of the couple over the past two decades, wanted to create a memorial at the Russells' beloved flour mill that would have been meaningful to both Debbie and the children she loved to see visit the mill. The memorial garden will likely be installed at a city park, ensuring its longevity. The book-lending station, Hauser said, would be a way to bring smiles to mill patrons and to care for its youngest patrons. "Bob and I have been friends for 20 years and, through him, obviously I met Debbie," Hauser said. "When she passed, I just thought it would be a really good way to show my respect. It's the most elaborate of all of them I've built Hauser noted he had started building the lending stations over the past year, having completed four for neighborhoods and parks in Central Point, where he lives. The little libraries are just that — small book repositories where people can borrow and lend books. They are small, sometimes as small as a mailbox, and typically hold just a few dozen books. But the titles change regularly as readers take a book and leave a book. "I would hope Debbie would see this as promoting the things she stood for. She loved children. She loved people. She loved education and she loved reading. This was my way of honoring her memory." Hauser, who installed a plaque this weekend on "Debbie's Little Free Library," credits his 9-year-old granddaughter, Emily Hauser, with the growing number of little libraries he's crafted. Emily, who tends the first of her grandfather's tiny libraries in her own neighborhood, helped install the placard.. "I think we have a lot of people coming to ours but we don't get to see them all that much because I go to school," she said. "They're important because they encourage people to read." A concept started in 2009, the first Little Free Library was a tribute by Hudson, Wisc., resident Todd Bol, who built lending station that looked like a tiny one-room school house in tribute to his mother, a former school teacher. Worldwide, Little Free Libraries have grown to 32,000 stations, with libraries in all 50 states and 70 countries, according to the organization's website, http://littlefreelibrary.org . The registration number on the Eagle Point little library is No. 32,925. Bob Russell noted his late wife's memorial service drew 700 people and said the mill's copper-topped library was already a hit in the community and would have been a big hit with Debbie. "It's a really sweet idea," Russell said. "We see people every single day coming to get a book or add a book. Kids get books and go sit down by the creek and read them. Debbie was a reader and she was in love with kids, so anything that could support both those things was a great idea. "It's a lot of fun and there are no rules really. People can take it as long as they want and just bring it back when they're done. We love having it here at the mill. I think it would inspire people to build more of these little libraries. If Debbie saw, she would just probably start bawling. She would love it." Buffy Pollock is a freelance writer living in Medford. Email her at [email protected]. By Buffy Pollock for the Mail Tribune MailTribune.com By Buffy Pollock for the Mail Tribune Posted Nov. 16, 2015 at 12:01 AM » Comment or view comments Reader Reaction » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Southern Oregon Directory Featured Businesses Loading... 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