Cathy Sullivant, M.L.S., M.Ed.
Assistant Librarian, Saint Francis of Assisi Research Library
Libraries have always been important in Cathy’s life. As a child, her mother bundled all four children up every week and went to the local public library for story time, to look at the amazing pictures in National Geographic magazine, and to check out the next week’s load of books. The family moved frequently during Cathy’s childhood, but one of the first things her mother made sure of in each new city was where the library was located, that everyone had a library card, and that weekly visits were scheduled. So many wonderful classic and contemporary books were read, so many exotic places imagined, and so many cherished memories were created because of the family’s weekly visits to the library!
A long faith journey has taken Cathy from the Church of Christ, United Methodist Church, Roman Catholic Church, and finally to her perfect church home, St. Dunstan’s Episcopal Church. It is at “St. D’s” that Cathy met Br. Allen A. White, OSF, and heard about his dream of building a research library dedicated to the life and teachings of Saint Francis of Assisi. Cathy’s friend, Frances Mallow Taylor, is involved in helping build the library with Brother Allen, and recruited Cathy to help. It was an easy recruit, because Frances knew of Cathy’s love of libraries, as well as of the library science degree she holds.
Cathy graduated from the University of Texas at Austin with a bachelor’s degree in elementary education. She earned a Masters of Library Science at UT, then later in her career earned a Masters in Educational Leadership at Sam Houston State University. While studying at the School of Information and Library Science at UT, the school acquired one of only 49 Gutenberg Bibles still known to exist, and being able to see and touch a book with such historical and sacred importance reinforced Cathy’s love and reverence for the printed word.
Her career has included building a database of reference material for the Environmental Physiology labs at NASA, as the Education/Psychology librarian at the University of Houston, and as a public school teacher and administrator for 30 years. In retirement, she teaches an online public school course, volunteers as a job counselor with Cypress Assistance Ministries, participates as a mentor for Kids’ Hope at Eiland Elementary, and serves as a Stephen Minister at St. Dunstan’s. Serving as a volunteer assistant librarian at the Saint Francis of Assisi Research Library returns Cathy full circle to her early love of libraries, and she’s excited to get busy helping make the library a world class resource on the life and teachings of Saint Francis of Assisi.
