Fort Myers – Lee County Public Library Receives $150,000 Bequest

FORT MYERS, Fla., May 12, 2006 – The Fort Myers – Lee County Public Library has received a bequest of $150,617.05 from the estate of Betsy Ek Dornseif.

Mrs. Dornseif was born in Rockford, Illinois in 1932 and graduated from Northwestern University. She and her late husband Robert A. Dornseif, were married for 38 years and had no children. The couple moved to Fort Myers area in the 1980s, where both were employed by Lee Memorial Health System. She worked as a biochemical technologist, analyzing tissue for cancer cells. He worked as a photographer. Mrs. Dornseif is described as an avid reader who filled her home with books on a wide range of topics, from travel to economics, stocks to car maintenance.

Per Mrs. Dornseif’s request, the bequest will be used to purchase books in the name of her late husband, as a memoriam.

“This is very exciting news. We are absolutely thrilled and deeply appreciative of this generous donation to the Fort Myers-Lee County Public Library,” stated Madeleine Plummer, the library’s manager.

”Donations such as Mrs. Dornseif’s allow us to offer a variety of additional resources and services beyond what tax dollars provide,” said Lee County Library System Development Specialist Karen Sloan.

The Fort Myers – Lee County Public Library is located at 2050 Central Avenue in Fort Myers and is one of 11 libraries in the Lee County Library System. For more information on the Lee County Library System, please visit us online at www.lee-county.com/library.

###