Cathy Fish: from livestock managing editor to city librarian
Staff writer
After moving several times because of her husband's job, Cathy Fish is glad to call Hillsboro home — living here for 12 years.
Cathy was born in Topeka and grew up in Perry. She is the oldest of four children born to Donald and Eleanor Langton.
She graduated from Perry-Le Compton High School in 1975 and went to college at Kansas State University in Manhattan.
"I had always wanted to go there," she said.
She received a bachelor's of science degree in animal science and ag journalism.
While going to K-State, Cathy worked in the Farrell Library on campus shelving books and working at the science reference desk.
"I didn't really like going into the spooky stacks of books and working nights," she said.
On June 2, 1979, she married Bill Fish, and the couple moved to Granton, Wis., where he had accepted a job.
Cathy worked as a production manager at a statewide newspaper publication called Agri View, a 40,000 circulation publication located in Marshfield, Wis. She was responsible for placing ads and copy on the newspaper.
"That was way back when we used the waxer and had to paste up everything — there was no computer then," she said, smiling.
The company also printed three tabloid agriculture editions to three regions throughout the state.
The Fishes stayed in the Granton area for two years.
Her husband wanted to finish his K-State degree in animal science and to work for Farmland in Kansas City. So they moved back to Kansas.
Cathy started working as managing editor for The American Hereford Journal, a livestock publication for horned hereford breeders.
"When I was younger, I always wanted to work at the building with the big hereford bull," Cathy said. "My proudest moment was to have a cover photo on the magazine."
In 1984, the family moved to Dodge City where Bill accepted a job as a salesman with an animal pharmaceutical company
Cathy was a stay-at-home mom and became interested in library there.
"I became involved with Friends of the Library group and its activities," she said.
The family stayed there for five years.
After Bill was assigned Kansas and Nebraska as his sales area, the couple began to look for towns in the central Kansas region.
"We put a circle around a central location of towns in Kansas on the map and started looking at towns on the weekends," Cathy said.
"At the time Joel Klaassen sold real estate, and he showed us around Hillsboro and really sold us on living here," she said.
The family was able to find a farm house outside of Hillsboro.
"We had moved 12 times in 10 years," Cathy said, "and I was tired of moving."
After settling in Hillsboro, Cathy had various jobs before the public librarian job opened up.
She did some baby-sitting and worked as a secretary for Wanda Pumphrey in career services at Tabor. She also worked as a para-educator in the special education department at Hillsboro Elementary School and volunteered at the public library.
In 1997, the library board members approached her when former librarian Delilah Deckert was thinking about retiring.
Prior to that, Hillsboro Public Library went to full automation in January of 1996, and Cathy helped with that process.
Cathy trained for two months under Deckert. In June of 1997, she applied for, was offered, and accepted the position of director of the library.
She has 120 hours in continuing education in library workshops and has completed KPLACE, which is a three-year 90-hour course for library management. The course at Emporia State University is geared for librarians of smaller libraries.
As director of the Hillsboro Public Library, Cathy's duties include helping patrons find books, check them out, and make copies on the copier. She also keeps statistics on library use and gives a yearly report.
She purchases books and materials for the library, helps with planning the library budget and submits it to the city manager. Cathy said by law the library is entitled to four mills for its funding.
She also oversees funds that come in from the state and NCKL for purchasing books.
Her staff includes Delora Kaufman who is the children's librarian and Wendy Unruh.
As far as hobbies, Cathy is very busy being a 4-H community leader, which she has been for 12 years.
She likes to quilt and knit. She knits stocking caps for preschool and elementary children who do not have winter hats. She does this through a program at the Hutchinson library.
She enjoys reading and reads a variety of books.
"I like all types of books," she said. "I especially read the William Allen White books and the juvenile and teen books so I can help direct the kids to what's out there to read."
Cathy and her family attend Hillsboro United Methodist Church where she has served on several committees and helps with Wednesday night crafts.
She and her husband Bill have three sons, Nathan, a junior at K-State, Jared, a senior at Hillsboro High School, and Jacob, a sixth grader at Hillsboro Middle School.
