Virginia Brooks Manbeck

The Amazing Flying Librarian By John B. Manbeck Virginia Brooks Manbeck, eclectic world traveler and librarian extraordinaire, passed away July 19 at the age of 84 while reading a book by Amor Towles. She was victim of an invasive cancer that metastasized over the recent years. A voracious and omnivorous reader and lover of the printed word, Virginia dedicated much of her life's energy to the promotion of reading in between traveling, travel planning and a relentless pursuit of knowledge and new experiences. Born in Philadelphia on August 23, 1940, to William and Dorothy Brooks, Virginia earned a B.A. at Penn State in 1962 then moved to New York City where she got a job as an editorial assistant at Houghton Mifflin. She met her future husband, John B. Manbeck at a party in Manhattan. After a whirlwind romance, they married in 1964. On their honeymoon, they flew to Europe, bought a Peugeot in Paris and drove through nine countries in nine weeks, thus beginning a lifelong wanderlust for travel with John. Their first child, Jessica, was born in Finland while John was fulfilling the obligations of a Fulbright teaching grant at Helsinki University. While there Virginia worked as a book editor for the Finnish publisher Tammi. During their time in Finland, the couple traveled in the Soviet Union twice, to Leningrad and Moscow, by both Aeroflot and train, to Sweden, Estonia, and through East and West Germany into Czechoslovakia and Austria. Their days in Finland allowed the Manbeck family to socialize with international friends from many countries and cultures. Afterward the family drove through Lapland into Norway and then traveled by boat to Newcastle, England, and Ireland before returning to Brooklyn. In September of 1968 she gave birth her second child, Brooks, and earned a Master's in Library Science from Pratt Institute less than a month later. A lifelong lover of learning, she would later go on to earn an MBA from Pace University along with multiple educational certificates from Columbia University and The University of New Mexico. From the time she arrived in New York City, Virginia's life was bound by books. As an employee of the Brooklyn Public Library, she headed the Bookmobile service and became branch manager at several locations. After she retired, she was offered a position in New York Public Library, Midtown Branch. In Pennsylvania, she became a reference librarian at Eastern Monroe Public Library in Stroudsburg. In 1979 she enlisted in the United States Naval Reserve, earning multiple certificates including one from the Naval Submarine School before her honorable discharge in 1981. Somewhere in the mix she managed to take flying lessons, co-author the book Consumer Health Information for Public Librarians, serve as an officer in The League of Women Voters and became a hiking guide for Road Scholar on part of the Appalachian trail. Virginia, known by most as Ginni, especially enjoyed trips inspired by books she read. Among the many countries she and her husband traveled to included France, Germany, Greece, Mexico, and Turkey. Another took them and their dog on a 47-state tour of America where she visited libraries and addressed librarians. In addition, the couple flew to Alaska twice and finished with a tour of Costa Rica. A flight to China became the piece de resistance, with travel around the country. Other trips included a return to Ireland, and an excursion to Iceland. For her most recent journey, Virginia and her daughter flew to Buenos Aires, Argentina. Virginia and John split their time between their apartment in Brooklyn and their home in Pennsylvania. In both homes, Virginia was surrounded by friends, new and old, and plenty of books to read. Virginia was a beloved wife, mother, grandmother, and friend. Virginia is survived by her husband, John, her children, Jessica and Brooks, her grandchildren, AJ, Emma, and Max, and her Cairn Terrier, Milton. In lieu of flowers, please make a donation to Eastern Monroe Public Library and Doctors Without Borders.