Duane Salswedel called the meeting of the Oxford Public Library Board of Trustees to order for the very last time on the evening of Nov. 16.

Salswedel served on the board for nearly four decades. He spent the majority of those years running the meetings as chairman.

According to library Director Bryan Cloutier, Salswedel has been an asset to the board and will be missed greatly.

“Duane brought leadership and strength and encouragement and guidance,” Cloutier said. “He was on the board during operational millage renewals, as well as a bond to build the new building that we occupy today. He’s seen a lot of changes during the years he’s been on the board. And he’s contributed significantly to the success of most of, if not all of, those changes.”

Salswedel has served the community both within and outside of the library walls.

Salswedel was involved with other area organizations, like the Northeast Oakland Historical Society & Museum in downtown Oxford and was an active volunteer for Love In the Name of Christ of North Oakland County (Love INC), a nonprofit cooperative effort that links churches, volunteers, and service agencies and helps them to organize their efforts by reaching out to the poor and disadvantaged.

He also served on the Advisory Board of Oxford’s campus of Pontiac Osteopathic Hospital (POH), was Chairman of the Public Library Trustee Association of Oakland County (PLTAOC). He served on the Oxford Village Zoning Board of Appeals (ZBA) for 32 years and chaired the ZBA for 28 of those years.

Salswedel is retired from a career in Administration and Management at American Aggregates in Oxford. He’s a military veteran who spent four years in the U.S. Air Force.

Looking back at his time on the library board, Salswedel said he was most proud of his involvement in the construction of the current library facility, which opened in December 1997.

As Salswedel steps down from his post, his daughter DuAnne Cook, an Oxford resident, will carry on his work, following her election to the board earlier this month.

“(My father) has always been my role model. He’s a good one,” Cook said. “He’s done a great job on the board and in the community.”

“My dad has been my mentor in many areas of my life,” she noted.

Cook said she is excited to bring her 40 years of experience as an educator to the library board.

“I feel pretty honored to have been elected to the board,” Cook said. “The library is an important facility in our community, so I know we need to keep it strong and in the public eye.”

Cook will be looking to her fellow board members for help and guidance.

“My plan is to listen and learn from this smart and industrious group of people,” she said.

Salswedel is excited about retirement, but he’ll miss the people and the job.

“I guess it’s about time,” Salswedel said. “I’m 85 years old. It’s about time to shut it down and let my daughter . . . take my place.

“It was a good 40 years for me.”