Rita Norton's Dream About to Come True

Rita Norton is celebrating her 91st birthday in September, but her present will have to wait a few weeks more. With the grand opening of the West Hollywood Library on October 1 comes the arrival of the greatest gift of all—a new bookstore.  

Norton is the founder of Friends of the West Hollywood Library (FOL), a small group of people who help supplement the library's meager LA County budget through ongoing used book sales, annual bake sales, dues and donations. The bookstore, tucked inside the renovated complex at 625 N. San Vicente Blvd., will finally give FOL a permanent location in West Hollywood.

Born in Norfolk, Virginia, Norton has been a resident of West Hollywood since 1980. While working as a library assistant at the West Hollywood Library in the early 1970s, she spoke with a small group of women about their interest in starting a friends group to raise money for the facility. 

As a library employee, Norton could not join the group, but happily provided all needed nurturing and support to get it off the ground and on the track to its future success. 

“The moment I retired from the library in 2000, I became the president of Friends,” says Rita, “and I’ve remained president ever since.” Although Rita’s daughter Marcy currently runs the FOL's board meetings, Norton still serves as its president and is involved in all decision-making activities.

Norton talks about the FOL's accomplishments over the years with great pride. “We produced so many wonderful programs, including an event with former LA Times columnist Jack Smith and a talk with actor Brock Peters.” She remembers iconic costume designer Edith Head bringing all nine of her Oscars when she came to speak at the library.

The charitable organization also purchased items that the library’s budget could not accommodate, such as equipment for the library’s kitchen, additional books for the children’s section and a world globe. 

An annual book and bake sale, however, became the major event for the group over the years, raising many thousands of dollars for the library. When the new library opens, FOL will continue to raise funds through book sales by operating the new West Hollywood Library’s bookstore.

A lover of books since early childhood, Norton and her brother Arnold were both great fans of Don Sturdy, a fictional character in a children’s series of adventure novels. They even formed a book club in his name. Norton served as president and her brother was treasurer, and both saved their weekly allowance to keep their group alive.

“When we got there, I would call the meeting of the club to order,” said Norton, laughing. “I’d ask my brother how much money we had in the treasury and when he told me, I would say, ‘OK, we can buy the book.’”

West Hollywood Mayor John Duran describes Norton as a "rare community jewel," defined by community activism, grace and a dry sense of humor. "Over the years, Rita has taught us that perseverance and hard work yield results, and I am certainly honored to have her friendship,” he said. 

When asked how she feels about the , Norton smiles. “I’m not sure how I will relate to it," she said. "I have loved our little library for so long and have made so many wonderful friends there.” 

A special event will be held on Saturday, August 20 to introduce attendees to Friends of the West Hollywood Library and to bring new members on board. For more information, visit their website or call 323-929-2359.