Lucia Madaline Tryon (1903-2000) was the chief librarian of Pensacola's public library system from its founding in 1938 until 1968[date uncertain] and the city's first female department head. The Lucia M. Tryon Branch Library was named for her in March 1990.
| Lucia M. Tryon | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | November 22, 1903 Maumee, Ohio |
| Died | November 30, 2000 Pensacola |
| Occupation | Librarian |
| Religion | Methodist |
| Parents | Alan Cooke & Anna Willnetta (Reno) Tryon |
She was hired by the City of Pensacola to convert Old Christ Church to the city's first public library, which opened on February 15, 1938 with 3,352 books. She helped establish a segregated library for black patrons in 1952 and oversaw construction of the downtown library in 1957. Tryon was instrumental in joining the Escambia and Santa Rosa library systems together as the West Florida Regional Library, and she was especially proud of the first Bookmobile program in 1963, because it made the library's resources available to residents in outlying rural areas.[1]
Tryon was forced to retire from the library on her 65th birthday, which she told colleagues was "the saddest day of her life."[2] She continued to volunteer with the Friends of the Pensacola Public Library until her health began to fail. She passed away on November 30, 2000 at age 97.