Aurora library selling sci-fi books by the thousands
Science fiction enthusiasts are welcome to stop by the Eola Road Branch Library to peruse close to 13,000 books donated by the family of Dr. Frank J. Nagy, a senior scientist at Fermilab who passed away in December at age 67.
The donated books, mostly paperback with some hardback volumes, range from those published in the 1950s to books Nagy ordered just months ago.
"He loved graphic novels and anime, and there are many books and magazines in the donation dedicated to those genres," said Nagy's brother, David.
"Eola Road Branch has always had a small ongoing book sale stocked with donated materials," said Heather Sturm, director of neighborhood services for Aurora Public Library. "We recently decided to move it to a more visible location, and are excited to feature this very special collection. What an honor!"
Nagy received his bachelor of science degree in physics from Carnegie Mellon University and his master's degree and Ph.D. in physics from California Institute of Technology.
He joined Fermilab in 1980 and was still employed there at the time of his death on Dec. 21, 2016.
"I don't think he ever got rid of a book," David Nagy said. "We found some books in his collection from the 1950s. And I saw some books I remember seeing stacked in our home in western Pennsylvania."
"We found some old physics 'textbooks' that were typewritten sheets in press board binders from Richard Feynman (winner of the 1965 Nobel Prize in physics), and another one authored by S.W. (Stephen) Hawking (the English theoretical physicist, cosmologist and author whose life was the inspiration for the 2014 movie, 'The Theory of Everything.')."
The Stephen Hawking binder went to a close friend of the Nagys' who is a Ph.D. candidate in microbiology.
"My wife and I kept some of the books by authors we enjoy reading, Nagy said. "He had a collection of mainly science fiction, some nonfiction, and some modern comic books like Superman, The Avengers and X-Men. We took a couple of boxes to our nephews who appreciated the artwork.
"But nobody at the library understood the scope of what we were giving them until we started bringing books, and kept bringing them and kept bringing them, and they finally said, 'Please, no more!' The branch was getting new carpeting and there was not a lot of room to store the books," Nagy said.
About half of his brother's collection went to the Eola Road Branch. The rest went to the Geneva Public Library, St. Charles Public Library, and friends and family members.
Aside from making sure that his brother's books got into the hands of people who would appreciate them, Nagy made arrangements to help his brother fulfill a goal.
"In his yearbook, Frank said he wanted to be two things: a research scientist and/or an astronaut," Nagy said. "He achieved the goal of scientist, so we have booked some of his ashes to be placed in a capsule to be sent into space in November. We are going to help him achieve his second goal of being an astronaut."
Library Director Daisy Porter-Reynolds is happy about the donation. "There is something for everyone in this sale - older novels, newer manga and graphic novels, DVDs. It will be fun to see so many great items find new homes with both longtime fans and readers new to the genre."
The book sale will continue at the Eola Road Branch, 555 S. Eola Road in Aurora, until the books are sold. The hours at Eola Road Branch are 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Friday and Saturday, and noon to 6 p.m. Sunday.