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Dear Editor,
In response to the article that was published in the Dec. 20, 2023 edition of the Citizen pertaining to the Nesbitt Memorial Library, please publish this article in response to that article.
Dear Friends of Nesbitt Memorial Library, I am writing to Thank You and to tell you how much we appreciate the article which appeared in the Citizen on Dec. 20, 2023. I only wish that Miss Lee Nesbitt would be here to read that article and to understand the remarkable success which the library has enjoyed since its dedication and opening at its current location. I am certain Miss Lee would be extremely proud of the tremendous success of the Library under so many excellent librarians, outstanding staff, gifted and outstanding board of directors, generous donors, and the dedicated support it has received from both the City of Columbus and the public at large. I know that she would be astounded at what skilled professional work has been done by all these people on behalf of the Library, and the fact that annual budgetary support from the City of Columbus is now in the range of a quarter of a million dollars. It is this exceptional staff and board of directors along with the incredible support from generous donors and the City of Columbus that make it one of the best, if not the best small town library in any city of this size in Texas. It is also amazing to me that the Chairperson of our library board is highly gifted academic with a deep knowledge of libraries and how they should be managed for maximum benefit to the public. Congratulations and thanks to you, Jim Kearney and Susan Chandler for the overall strength and community service orientation of the Nesbitt Memorial Library. Both of you, along with many other people over the years, have contributed so much to the success of the Library.
There are several corrections and additions that I would like to make to the article. First, there is no Nesbitt Foundation attributable to Miss Lee Nesbitt or her sister Laurie Dell. The legal defining and governing document is the Joint Last Will and Testament which they executed in 1947. That will provided that the net residue of their estates, after all expenses and taxes should be disturbed to any charity within the State of Texas upon the death of the last surviving sister. This document served as the overriding legal instrument. And the Nesbitt sisters never created a foundation. Their last will and testament provided for these distributions to be made by the independent executor. Miss Lee lived many years longer than her sister, Miss Laurie Dell, and of course she took much interest in how her money would be ultimately given away by the independent executor. When the lawyer, my father Hollis Massey, was no longer able to fulfill his legal position as independent executor, I was appointed and approved by the Court as successor independent executor. Because of various liquidity issues, I was not able to distribute everything within the two year mandate of the last Will and Testament and so I created a Distribution Trust to finalize all distributions.
I had a number of meetings with Miss Lee Nesbitt to seek guidance from her on her “wishes.” although I was bound by the terms of the joint will, I wanted to fulfill Mrs. Lee’s wishes in accordance with the provisions of her joint will and testament with her sister Miss Laurie Dell. Miss Lee clearly expressed to me in writing what her wishes were with respect to final distributions as follows:
• A public library for the citizens of Columbus
• The First United Methodist Church of Columbus
• Methodist Missions
• Restoration of the Brunson Building, improvements to the Live Oak Art Center, and adjacent land.
• Columbus Public Schools — Programs to help the hearing and speech impaired. (Miss Laurie Dell Nesbitt was severely handicapped with her hearing and speech).
• Restoration and improvements to the Stafford Opera House (later to include any or all properties of Columbus Historical Preservation Trust).
During her lifetime and through her testamentary provisions Miss Lee contributed more than one million dollars to these various community programs. Adjusted for inflation and at today’s values, in effect Miss Lee gave away in her lifetime and through her Estate and Nesbitt Memorial Distribution Trust well more than three million dollars in today’s purchasing power.
Miss Lee must be recognized as one of our community’s most generous philanthropists ever. She was extremely private, and she never would agree to any write ups in the paper or photographs of herself when any of these gifts were concluded. The only time I remember her being visible was at the dedication of the Nesbitt Memorial Library. That was a very joyous occasion for her when we presented the title and keys to the library to the City of Columbus. As independent executor, I served as master of ceremonies on that occasion. Miss Lee was noticeably quiet and reserved, but she was so proud when Mayor Kuchar accepted her gift to the City of Columbus. The truth of the matter is, I seriously doubt if anyone could see that the Library would prove to be such a remarkable success to the community and that the financial support of the City which has been so vital to its success would grow to its current level of about two hundred and fifty thousand dollars a year. This extremely generous support from the city is a major reason the Library has been such an enormous success — far more than what anyone contemplated at the time.
I do want to state that Miss Lee Nesbitt did not pick out the site for the Nesbitt Memorial Library. She picked out another site which she very much wanted. That site had more space and was in a quieter location, but we were unable to conclude a purchase of that site. The owner of that property and their heirs simply never wanted to sell their land. We also looked seriously at another site but were unable to secure a transaction at that site as well. The current site, which was the home of R.R. Hadden, who was a deceased county commissioner, was in fact the last choice. The purpose of that purchase was not disclosed, and Mr. Massey paid thirty-five thousand dollars to purchase the site, and of course Miss Lee agreed to it. The fact that the elementary school was located nearby was not regarded as a positive asset at that time. We did not understand how important proximity to the elementary school would become over time.
Neither Miss Lee nor her sister were ever married. They both lived most of their adult life in the big home at the corner of Milam and Bonham streets in Columbus. This home was built as a family home by their parents.
The current building was dedicated on March 18, 1979. But after Miss Lee’s death funds from her estate were utilized to expand the size of the original library, to build a reading room, and to build the archives addition. It should be noted that the archives are fireproof, and temperature controlled. I presented to the archives all of Miss Lee’s final papers after we closed the distribution Trust except for a few highly confidential papers that Miss Lee asked me to hold in her private fireproof vault at the Columbus State Bank.
The decision to expand to the Library, build the reading room, and construct the archives addition was made by me, independent executor. And, in that decision I received significant help from attorney John Hancher, retired medical doctor, James Wooten, the then head librarian, Patti Wooten, head archivist, Bill Stein and local architect A.J. Willrodt. I do not remember the name of the consulting architect, or who the Chairman of the library was at that time.
I wish to again state that I wish Miss Lee Nesbitt were here to read the fine article that appeared Wednesday, Dec. 20, 2023. We are all extremely grateful to what so many good people have done over the years to create this wonderful community library. It is a great asset for the citizens of all ages of Columbus.
Sincerely, John H. Massey
