Since retiring as a Ford executive nineteen years ago, Peter Bray and his wife Anne have worked on environmental issues and pursued a passion for native landscaping and growing organic vegetables. 

If the Baldwin Library doesn’t have a book he wants concerning a certain topic, Bray has often successfully utilized the inter library loan program and the Michigan Electronic Library (MeL).

“With the assistance of the reference librarians, I’ve used the interlibrary loan system to obtain old farming books from out of state, including a 1930’s Virginia extension service bulletin about different grasses,” says Bray who typically visits the library at least twice a week. “I’ve also used MeL from my home computer to order several items from libraries across Michigan. You can’t expect local libraries to have everything on their shelves, so these loaner programs provide an invaluable resource.” 

Emigrating from England, the couple has also reconnected with their roots by obtaining BBC comedy series DVDs and British detective novels through the MeL system.  

Last year Bray joined the Baldwin Library’s “Learning in Retirement” program where participants give presentations on different topics. At one meeting, Bray learned that both croissants and bagels originated from the Siege of Vienna. 

 “It’s been very interesting to be part of the group and it’s an eye opening because there are curious nooks and crannies in history that people are not aware of,” he says.

When Bray began preparing for his own presentation on the 1953 Iranian coup d’etat, he once again turned to the MEL system.

“The Baldwin Library has All the Shah’s Men and through MeL I was able to borrow a MP3 disc of it so I could even listen to it while driving,” he says. 

 

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