My First Carnegie Library

How I'd like to tell you my novel has been germinating since kindergarten. After all, my elementary school was named after Mary Cornelia Lee, the librarian of Manhattan's Carnegie library, who served from the time it opened in 1904 until 1942. The truth is I didn't figure this out until recently, i.e. 7+ years into the writing process. I might never have "remembered" if I hadn't asked my brother if he thought they'd rename our grade school, in response to the movement to remove Confederate flags and Robert E. Lee from public buildings. "OUR Lee School," he pointed out, "was named after a librarian." I'm sure I must've known ...