Alumni Spotlight

Louise "Lou" Lindsey '68

The Law and Lou

Richard E. Ducey, director
of the Mabee Legal Information Center,
with Louise "Lou" Lindsey '68

Life's twists and turns brought Louise "Lou" Lindsey's love for the library and knowledge of the law together in what she describes as the perfect job. That job stands many steps and many states from Earlham, where she began in higher education.

Lindsey '68 now serves in the library at the University of Tulsa Law School as the Associate Director of the Mabee Legal Information Center. She works with director Richard E. Ducey to manage a staff of 20. She conducts the hiring and all personnel work and manages the administrative work including the budget.

"I love the day to day work flow of the library. And I like being second in command. I don't have to deal with all that political stuff," Lindsey says.

She also raves about her wonderful staff members who are very devoted to their work. Four of her co-workers have served there for more than 20 years.

While the staff is "seasoned" Lindsey says there are also many young people who bring their knowledge of technology and enthusiasm, which makes for a good mix.

In addition to the administrative responsibilities, Lindsey works at the reference desk for several hours each week. The reference desk keeps her grounded in the service and teaching aspect of her work. "I love the teaching part, and I love the students. Nobody can learn all the law, but students need to know how to find it," she says.

Of course her higher education and those steps toward Tulsa began at Earlham, where she earned a degree in Elementary Education. After teaching for two years in Colorado and Nebraska, Lindsey went back to school and studied Library Science at the Univ. of Washington in Seattle.

Lindsey's love for the library was nurtured in her work as an elementary school librarian while living in Virginia. She was in charge of a library complete with a fireplace where elementary students gathered on her mother's braided wool rug and learned to love reading and the library too. "I felt guilty taking a paycheck for that job," Lindsey laughs.

But again, life's twists and turns moved Lindsey to North Dakota, where she attended the University of North Dakota Law School. It was there after being admitted to the state bar that she served as the second director of Central Legal Research, a project initially funded with federal grant money. She oversaw students' research for state judges, prosecutors and court-appointed defense counsel and helped create a database of research memos available to all attorneys in the state. Eventually the bureau became part of the law school and still exists today, with the same secretary Lindsey hired in the late 1970's.

"I'm proud of that work," Lindsey says. She remains in touch with the bureau staff and visited recently in conjunction with a meeting of the Mid-America Law Librarians regional association.

Several states later, including Arkansas for 12 years and Connecticut for two years, and after earning another advanced library degree from Indiana University, Lindsey settled in 1995 in Oklahoma and is now comfortable in her current position at the University of Tulsa.

As she reflects, Lindsey is thankful for her start at Earlham College. During her nine years as a student in higher education, Earlham provided a great foundation.

"I spend a lot of time writing in my job, so I'm grateful for the humanities classes where I learned to write better, analyze and problem solve," she says. "I felt well prepared in all the areas that I studied – prepared to succeed."

And Lindsey still keeps in touch with friends from Earlham some who were active in the "Outing Club" together. Lindsey remembers that spelunking was a favorite activity.

"We would enter the caves with the little lights on our heads, then everyone would turn off their lights for a (Quaker) moment of silence – in total, total darkness," Lindsey laughs.

In addition, Lindsey's personal life has had its twists and turns as well. She raised an adopted son from Thailand. He was physically and emotionally disabled and Lindsey advocated for him as he grew. She lost her son, at age 36, in an accident in 2004.

Soon after she traveled to China with a childhood friend where she developed an interest in the children there. "This friend took me on a fantastic two-week trip. It was so very kind of her as I was grieving the loss of my son," Lindsey says.

After her return, Lindsey's pastor told her about an orphanage mission project, and she embraced the work in its earliest planning stages. Funded by a "grassroots group of Tulsa Methodists," as Lindsey describes it, the Chinese orphanage now serves 25 children and celebrated its one-year anniversary in August.

"In a way, I'm doing this in memory of my son. Now, if people ask, I can say I have 25 children!"