Roman L and Victoria E Hruska Memorial Public Library

The building that David City’s public library is currently in is a nice improvement architecturally and in terms of keeping the place cool in the summer (when they are willing to face the effect on their budget). The librarians have always been helpful, friendly, and even cheerful. The holdings are very respectable for a town the size of David City. They have computers and internet access. A learning experience came by way of the naming of the library. I discovered that the library took its present name by virtue of a large donation (to the construction of this new library when they were still using the older one). That donation came from — wait for it — Norman L. Hruska, at least that’s what I was told by one of the librarians. Hruska was a Senator who became rather famous, or infamous, when he made a speech in defense of the mediocrity of Supreme Court nominee G. Harrold Carswell: «there are a lot of mediocre judges and people and lawyers. They are entitled to a little representation, aren’t they?» Art Buchwald fittingly described a poster seen during a meeting of the Society for a Mediocre America, which enthusiastically promised, «Ask the impossible, and he’ll do the ordinary.» I suppose for many, the defense of Carswell was also an act of self-​defense. At any rate, there are two reasons for a building to be named after a living person. Either that person has done something honorable, above and beyond the call of mediocrity, or that person has paid («donated») to get his name on the building.