The Toledo Municipal Court, a hub of legal proceedings, has also become a center for fostering a love of reading among children. Spearheaded by Judge Michelle Wagner, this initiative provides books to young visitors, many of whom accompany parents or guardians to court without adequate childcare.
The effort not only engages children during long court waits but also promotes literacy, a crucial factor in academic success. In 2024, this mission gained new momentum with the dedication of a special bookshelf in honor of Thomas and Yvonne Szyperski, a respected Toledo family. This initiative highlights how small, thoughtful gestures can make even the most formal spaces welcoming and inclusive for all.
A positive court experience
“A book in a child’s hands is a good thing, “ Judge Wagner explains, adding, “one of the highest indicators of academic success is being read to as a small child.”
The population that comprises the Court’s clientele often are from a socio-economic strata that cannot afford books. As the child visitors to the Court select books from a shelf in Wagner’s courtroom, they are told that they can take the books home with them when they leave the building.
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The Judge began keeping books on a shelf in her courtroom in 2013 but due to the Covid pandemic, books were not made available due to concerns that they could be carriers of germs or disease. Prior to the pandemic Wagner had a bookshelf in her courtroom which housed the books. With the removal of the books, the shelf became a repository for various forms and documents for court and attorney use to contribute to a “touchless” environment.
“The use of the shelf (which formerly held children’s books) for court papers and forms was actually a benefit that arose from the Covid environment. It worked well and allowed staff to work uninterrupted by requests and distributing papers,” Wagner relates.
Renewed need for a bookshelf
When Covid restrictions were lifted, the shelf that held the children’s books had been repurposed as a location for forms, etc. Wagner recognized the need for a new bookshelf to continue her mission to provide for the Court’s youngest visitors.
“I was looking on Facebook Marketplace for a bookshelf for the children’s books in my courtroom. I saw one that I thought would work well and I contacted the person who had posted it. I was familiar with her (Kate Abu-Absi) and I knew her father, longtime Toledo area attorney Tom Szyperski. I had worked with Tom over the years. The bookshelf had belonged to Tom (and his wife Yvonne, who predeceased him). Tom had recently died, which was a loss for the community. Kate told me that the bookshelf was “already spoken for, which I understood. I explained to Kate why I was looking for a bookshelf and we said ‘goodbye’.”
As Wagner continued to look online and at local estate sales and garage sales (where she also often obtains books to stock the Court’s shelf) she received a call from Kate, explaining that the bookshelf had been claimed by a family member, which led to Kate explaining earlier that it had been “spoken for”. But that Kate had discussed the Court’s inquiry concerning the shelf with the family and they had decided that donating the shelf to the Court was what they wanted to do. Szyperski was a quiet and private man and had asked that no memorial service be held after his death. This would be a way to recognize their father and a respected local attorney for years to come.
Honoring a legacy
The bookshelf was delivered to the Court and set up in Wagner’s courtroom. A small ceremony was held to dedicate the bookshelf in September, 2024, with a number of attorneys and court personnel in attendance, along with members of the Szyperski family. Many attendees brought books with them to stock the shelf.
“It was really a very touching and appropriate tribute to Tom and Yvonne Szyperski and the bookshelf will be used and appreciated for years to come. “
Judge Wagner regularly receives bags or boxes of books, left at the court by anonymous donors, to be used to stock the Szyperski bookshelf. A plaque notes that the shelf and the library it houses is “in Loving Memory of Thomas and Yvonne Szyperski.” Courtroom 12 on the fourth floor of Toledo Municipal Court is now home to the bookshelf and, with hopes of sparking the love of reading in child visitors to the Court, the building which houses Toledo’s judicial branch is a more friendly and welcoming place.
