New library will honor Norris family’s legacy

RUSSELLVILLE — Lanny Norris said his parents, Billy and Leila Norris, printed books, sold books and were prolific readers, so it’s fitting the land he and his siblings donated land to the city will be used for a new, modern library/ media center.

Lanny, his older brother, Tim Norris, and several other family members joined Mayor David Grissom and members of the city council, U.S. Rep. Robert Aderholt, and Russellville Library Board members for a standing room only groundbreaking ceremony July 29 on the roughly half-acre of property the family donated behind city hall.

Aderholt secured in 2022 a $3.892 million earmark for the construction of the new 7,520-square-foot library.

Create Architects of Florence designed the new Norris Public Library. Architect Brad Bernard said the project should go out for bids in two to three months.

Billy and Leila Norris

“We’re still in the middle of construction drawings,” he said.

Lanny said his family donated the property with the intention of the city building a new library on that site. He thanked Grissom for working tirelessly to find a funding source for the project.

“They printed books, they sold books, they were prolific readers,” Lanny said of his parents. “They taught us to be prolific readers. What better memorial than to have the Norris Public Library?”

Lanny said Dr. Samuel Sevier, his greatgreat- great grandfather, moved from East Tennessee to Russellville in 1836, just 17 years after Russellville was founded, to set up his medical practice.

He talked about playing football and basketball in the yard where the family home once stood.

“I want to take this moment to thank Dr. Samuel Sevier for moving to Russellville from East Tennessee, or I might have grown up a Tennessee Vol,” Lanny said jokingly, drawing laughter from the audience.

Lanny played football at the University of Alabama. His brother, Tim, played football at Florence State University, which is now the University of North Alabama.

The funding

Grissom said when he learned the Norris family was considering donating the property for a new library, he reached out to Keith Jones, executive director of the Northwest Alabama Council of Local Governments, to see if he could help find funding for the project.

Unfortunately, there wasn’t much state funding available to build libraries at that time.

“Keith gave us some ideas,” Grissom said, “But it was much less than what was needed to complete the project. We reached out to Congressman Aderholt and the rest was history.”

Architectural rendering of the Norris Public Library.

The mayor then asked Aderholt to join him at the podium to give him a key to the city.

Grissom said it’s only the third time he’s awarded a key to the city since he became mayor in 2012.

The first time was to former Gov. Robert Bentley when IHP (Innovative Health Products) added 210,000 square feet to its Russellville facility, creating another 250 jobs. The second was given to Leila Norris on her 100th birthday.

Norris died Dec. 11, 2019, at the age of 103.

“So, I thought it would be fitting, congressman, that my key number three would be presented to you for all the hard work you did to make this happen,” Grissom said.

Aderholt said Grissom reached out to him about five years ago to see if he could help with funding a new library, but he was reluctant to commit to it because in Washington, D.C., you can’t count on anything until a bill is passed.

When members of Congress resumed the earmark process, he was able to secure funding.

“I really see today’s groundbreaking as an investment in opportunity and also an investment in the people of Russellville and Franklin County and, quite honestly, the surrounding areas, and an investment in the future of this region,” Aderholt said.

The new Norris Public Library, Aderholt said, will be more than a building.

“It’s going to be a bridge to knowledge, it’s going to be a bridge to connection, to economic uplift, and it’s going to be a bridge to community life,” Aderholt said.

Family ties

Jennifer Norris Hunt, Lanny’s daughter, contributed to the project’s design by suggesting features that were incorporated into the final plans.

“I’m in the printing business now,” Hunt said. “We do all sorts of invitations and stationery. It’s so funny to me that I’ve ended up in the printing business, and that’s what my grandfather’s livelihood was too.” She said her family’s decision to donate the property evolved over time, and that it felt right given the house’s condition and the site’s significance.

U.S. Representative Robert Aderholt speaks at the groundbreaking ceremony for the future Norris Public Library in Russellville on Tuesday. [IVY ROSE BALL/TIMESDAILY]

Hunt said the project is especially meaningful to her because of what the land once held.

“My grandparents owned the print shop and the bookstore, and they lived there,” she said. “Books and printing were important. So, I just kind of love that the city block that housed the bookstore and the printer is now going to be the library.”

The Norris family’s roots in Russellville run deep. Lanny’s cousin, Lei-Anne Richardson Hester, remembered childhood visits to the family home filled with familiar routines and simple joys.

“The house was a duplex when I was little,” she said. “My greatgrandmother lived on one side, and my grandparents on the other. At night, the ladies from King Frosty would slip in and drop off the money after closing. The next morning, we’d all eat breakfast and then count it at the table. I was the youngest, so I usually got the pennies, or the dimes.”

She also recalled riding the paper cart through the printing shop and playing in the large backyard with other children in the family.

“We had so much fun out there,” she said, “and there were always Refresho bars in the freezer. That was a treat.”

Hester said her grandparents made a strong team, with Billy running the printing and Leila handling the typesetting and bookstore.

“They just worked well together,” she said.