The members of the Pike County High School Class of 1953 wanted to remember their classmate and friend, Douglas Botts, in a special way.

They could think of no greater tribute to him than to honor his memory with a donation to the Tupper Lightfoot Memorial Library in Brundidge.

Botts had served on the library board for more than 22 years. He was a vital member of the board and contributed greatly to the growth of the library.

On Monday, Hazel Anderson and Sissy Yancey presented a check to Jean Carroll, head librarian, in memory of Botts and a plaque in his memory and in honor of his widow, Rue Botts.

The donation was from the collective efforts of Botts’ classmates who wanted to show their love for him and gratitude for his commitment to his community.

Rue Botts expressed appreciation for the expression of love shown by her late husband’s classmates.

“I can’t think of anything that you could have done that would have meant more to Douglas,” she said. “He was an avid reader and he loved this library.”

Douglas Botts was involved in civic affairs and he knew the value of a library to a community.

“Douglas believed that you should give back to your community,” Botts said. “He felt like he owed something to the community that meant so much to him. We both thought that if you have a talent, you should share it. And, Douglas did that.”

Carroll said Botts had tremendous energy and, if something needed doing, he saw to it that it was done.

“He didn’t want to wait around,” she said. “He got behind it and got it done. We could always count on Douglas.”

His dependability was a strong suite but he was also a great encourager for the library.

“Douglas read several books a week,” Carroll said. “And, he put his symbol on every one of them. It was a red “B” that he put in the title. That showed that he had read the book. Others understood it as a recommendation…Douglas’ seal of approval.

“People would say that a book had to be good because ‘Douglas read it.’”

Botts loved mystery and detective books and especially historical novels. His love of books motivate others to read and his influence will continue to be felt every time a “Botts approved” book is check out of the Tupper Lightfoot Memorial Library, Carroll said.

Anderson and Yancey said they didn’t see that side of Botts when they were in high school.

“He was one of the Josie Beat boys and they were an energetic bunch,” they said, laughing. “But Douglas was always interested in things. He was smart and he had a great big heart. We wanted to remember him in a special way. Making a donation to a place that meant so much to him was the best way we knew how.”