06/07/2026
It was an honor to be among community leaders, library and literacy champions, and neighbors to celebrate the life and legacy of Eleanore Schmidt, earlier this week. We gathered at the Mark Twain Neighborhood Library, which would not have existed if it weren’t for Eleanore’s hard work as Director of Library Services.
Eleanore was more than a former director of Library Services, she was a neighbor who cared about others and how they can succeed amongst the challenges. May her memory and legacy live on through her family and all who loved her. It was an honor to be her neighbor, Councilwoman, and I will miss seeing her walk the neighborhood, among the lovely jacarandas!
A quote that was shared by Eleanore’s niece, one that Eleanore embodied and shared often -
“I am of the opinion that my life belongs to the community, and as long as I live, it is my privilege to do for it whatever I can. I want to be thoroughly used up when I die, for the harder I work, the more I live. Life is no ‘brief candle’ to me. It ia a sort of splendid torch which I have got hold of for a moment, and I want to make it burn as brightly as possible before handing it on to the future generations.” - George Bernard Shaw