--This is a collaboration by Angelina Turner and Becky Morgan.--

Have you ever been driving down the freeway and noticed that a section is named after someone? A portion of Hwy-65 is dedicated to fallen Officer Mark A. White; or historical figures like the Donner Party have Donner Pass? Cities of all sizes have at least one building named after someone that gave a measurable contribution to their community or accomplished something great: the Crocker Art Museum, Sutter’s Fort, or on a grander scale, the J. Edgar Hoover FBI Building or the Washington Monument in Washington, D.C. Colleges name dorms, gymnasiums and lecture halls, to honor a large donation or because of an invaluable impression left on the school--which brings me to the Julie Estridge Library Memorial Dedication.

If you walk through the Roseville High School (RHS) campus, you will notice several structures that follow the tradition of honoring those individuals who have left lasting impressions on the alumni, parents, staff and teachers. There is the Moeller Gymnasium; J.B. Gale Little Theater; Patti Baker Performing Arts Center; and the Sylvia Besana Administration Building; in addition to the Tedy Bruschi Weight Training Facility and Hanson Field (the football field).

Roseville High School alumni and community members have launched a movement to recognize RHS's longest-serving librarian and one of its most beloved teachers, Julie Estridge, by naming the school's library in her memory.

Mrs. Estridge, who passed away last year, served as librarian at Roseville High School for 27 years, from 1979-2006.  Considered a transformational figure on the RHS campus, Mrs. Estridge coordinated the re-design and modernization of the library to make it the intellectual and emotional heart of the school.

"Julie was a shining example of the kind of person we would all hope to be. With her welcoming good cheer,
wise humor and compassionate attention, she left a vibrant legacy of courtesy and quiet grace in the hearts of
those who knew her."-Becky Morgan

“It is teachers and administrators such as Julie Estridge that make students fondly remember their experiences
at Roseville High School. It is teachers and administrators such as Julie Estridge that helped me succeed in my
life with a successful career at Microsoft and as an elected official in Milton Township, Michigan. It is teachers and
administrators like Julie Estridge that should be honored and remembered.” -Supervisor Robert Benjamin

“I have very fond memories of Mrs. Estridge. She was someone that cared deeply for the students, not because we
were students but because she always saw the best in people and believed they could do anything if they had the
tools within their reach. She encouraged us to always set goals that might be just out of reach so that we didn’t sell
ourselves short.”-Angelina Turner

The supporters of naming the library in Julie’s honor feel that this is a normal sequence, since the library is one of the few widely used buildings not named after someone. But like all things in life, nothing is that simple.

Our goal is to find as many alumni who attended RHS between 1979 and the present day and to urge them to write letters to the Roseville Joint Union High School District Board of Trustees in support of the dedication.

Alumni and other members of the community who would like to add their names to the list of supporters should contact RHS teacher Cecil Morris at cmorris@rjuhsd.us.

Supporters should also send a message to the board members asking them to support the naming of the library in honor of Mrs. Estridge. Their addresses are:

* Jack Duran, jduran@rjuhsd.us
* R. Jan Pinney, rpinney@rjuhsd.us
* Garry Genzlinger, ggenzlinger@rjuhsd.us
* Paige Stauss, pstauss@rjuhsd.us
* Scott Huber, shuber@rjuhsd.us

We don’t know if there is any opposition to this petition, thought we do know that the current district policy doesn’t promote memorial dedications of district buildings. But we are hoping to provide a unified front with which to persuade them to see that our librarian, Julie Estridge, is the most qualified to have this honor bestowed in her memory.
 

The school board will vote on the library dedication proposal at its meeting on April 21. The list of supporters' names, as well as letters and other supporting documentation, must be submitted to the district before April 10.

If you would like to read more about Julie Estridge, her obituary can be found on The Sacramento Bee's web page http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/sacbee/obituary.aspx?page=lifestory&pid=107440553

There is also a Facebook Group for supports of this proposal http://www.facebook.com/reqs.php#/group.php?gid=61821536611