Tarleton Thursdays: Did You Know?

Miss Margaret Bierschwale to Become Librarian

The May 2, 1931 JTAC's front page news announced that Miss Margaret Bierschwale was, as of June 1, to replace Mrs. Dorothy Lee Fagan as head librarian of the college. Miss Bierschwale had come to Tarleton in September 1920 as head of the Physical Training department. She had been the head of the English department in Navasota High School while Tarleton Dean J. Thomas Davis was the superintendent.

In January 1921, Miss Bierschwale was made head of the Tarleton English department and served in that capacity until June 1923. She then spent time pursuing a graduate degree and traveling to England, Scotland, Belgium, Holland, Germany, Switzerland, Italy, and France. She received her B.A. degree from Randolph Macon Woman's College and her M.A. from Columbia University. She also served as an assistant in the New York Public Libraries. She returned to Tarleton in 1931 as the college librarian.

In 1935/36 Miss Bierschwale took leave from her position as Tarleton librarian to study graduate English at Columbia University in pursuit of her Ph.D. She studied Elizabethan drama with Professor F.S. Boas of London, a rare treat!

As librarian at Tarleton Miss Bierschwale enlarged and enriched the library's collection, especially in Texas history. She instilled a love of rare books and quality Texas history resources into one of her students, C. Richard King, who became a historian and collector of Texana. Dr. King donated his materials to our library.

Miss Bierschwale resigned in December 1943. "To her staff of library assistants she has been an inspiration; to the Library Committee she has proved a constant source of guidance and vision; to countless students she has endeared herself through her sympathy, understanding, and unselfish service!"

Grassburr, 1931, 1933.

JTAC, May 2, 1931, September 29, 1936, December 7, 1943.