Mr. and Mrs. Lybart and their daughters, Jean (left) and Clarice (right)
The Balbach Collection is a gift of children's books from Daniel Balbach and his three sisters, Mary Ohman, Elisabeth Wood, and Ruth Goldsmith, in memory of their parents, Clarice Lybart Balbach (1911-1994) and William R. Balbach (1910-2005).
Clarice and her older sister, Jean, were the original readers of many of the books donated in this collection. Later, Clarice and her husband, William, would both attend the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. William Balbach graduated from the School of Architecture and Design in 1932, and Clarice Balbach attended the UM School of Public Health in 1931, after receiving her nursing degree from Blodgett Hospital in Grand Rapids, Michigan.
The Balbach gift is significant for the various series represented, including numerous titles from the Elsie Dinsmore series, as well as titles from The Bobbsey Twins, Bunny Brown, and Pollyanna. The gift also provided the library with its first two Nancy Drew volumes. The books range in publication date from 1872 (Elsie's Girlhood) to 1952 (Nancy Drew title The Mystery at the Ski Jump).
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