The Winfield Public Library was my second home as a young boy. I would particularly spent time there during the summers when school did not occupy my time. I loved reading history (Lincoln and Franklin D. Roosevelt biographies and World War II history).

I recall that the Library had humble beginnings on Church Street in an apartment building across the street from the Winfield Park District’s Gazebo Park. The Library eventually outgrew its space and moved to three relocatable/temporary buildings located on Winfield Elementary School property. The temporarily buildings had been used by the School Distrcit prior to the new Winfield Central Middle School being built on Park Avenue and Beecher Streets.

When I was a very young boy my sister and brother would go to the Winfield Elementary School Library that was open on a very limited basis during the summer. This was how I was able to have access to books when I was young.

In a recent review of old issues of the Wheaton Daily Journal for the year 1986 I ran across the article below concerning the renovation or expansion of the current Library building under the leadership of Linda Slusar. Linda would later become the leader of the College of DuPage Library Technical Assistants Certification program. I would beome an instructor for the program for a short period of time in the nineties while I was working for the Warrenville and Aurora Public Libraries and prior to becoming the Administrator for the Messenger Public Library of North Aurora Illinois.

My mother subscribed to many of the local papers. The Wheaton Journal was one newspaper I recall that was delivered directly to our front doorstep. The Winfield editor for the paper was Alyce Bartlett or as she was known as Alyce “Scoop” Bartlett. My mother knew Alyce via her attendance at Sunday mass at St Johns Church.

Alyce was a resident of Winfield Illinois for 52 years Bartlett (nee Witt), born April 14, 1928, in Chicago, died June 12, 2012, after a brief illness. Alyce was schooled in Chicago and met Bob Bartlett in 1950. They married in 1951. Together they raised six children. In 1967 she began a career in journalism. The Winfield Glimpses was the first newspaper she wrote for. She became an ad setter for the Naperville Sun, moving to the Daily Journal, where she had a column and was a special edition editor. From there she became a columnist for the Daily Herald, West Chicago Press and most recently, The Winfield Press. During her career she had many opportunities to meet presidents, actors and many local people of interest. She was passionate about her work. Many local residents of Winfield still fondly refer to her as “Scoop.” Alyce was survived in 2012 per her obituary by her children, Joan (Kim) Haas of Holcombe Wis., Bob Bartlett of Mounds View, Minn., Ellen Morris of Waukegan Ill., Kathleen (Pete) Henry of Genoa, Ill., Charlie (Donna) Bartlett of Winfield Ill., and Ann (Ken) Weseman of Wheaton Ill.; 16 grandchildren; six great-grandchildren; brother, Dick (Judy) Witt of Prescott, Ariz.; sister-in-law, Rita Bartlett of Oak Lawn, Ill.; and many nieces and nephews. She was proceeded in death by her parents, Michael Witt, Annette Witt; husband, Bob Bartlett in 1995; sister, Eleanor Hartjen; brother-in-law, Fred Bartlett; sister-in-law, Virginia Baxter; and an infant son, Michael.