Peggie Morgan is a 76-year-old library services specialist­ who has been working at the library for 43 years, making her the longest working librarian at the Henry Madden Library.

Her duties at the library consist of cataloging all graduate student thesis papers, Ph.D. dissertations and maps for­ students.

“I get to read about all the different topics and learn something new and don’t have to take a test on it,” Morgan said of her tasks.

Morgan officially started her job on September 1, 1969.

She came from Texas with her husband, who came to California to pursue a degree in psychology at Fresno State.

That led to Morgan going to­ the Fresno State Employment Office and applying for the library job.

There were 30 people who applied for the job, which required applicants to take a typing test on a typewriter.

Morgan remembers her score: 60 words per minute and no mistakes. This was in large part due to her helping her husband type up the church bulletin and the high school typing classes she took.

She was hired instantly, which wouldn’t happen now because all librarians are required to have a Master’s of library science, something Morgan does not have.

Despite not having the credentials, Morgan is dedicated to learning and expanding her knowledge by continuously finding ways in which she can gain new skills.

She taught herself with the help of a former librarian, to manually type up library cards and catalog periodicals, which is now made easier through technology.

Morgan is not only a hardworking librarian and dedicated learner, but also a devoted volunteer and devout Christian.

The unexpected death of her husband in 1999 led her to become a chaplain at Saint Agnes Medical Center.

“He thought I could do anything,” she said of her late husband. “The wonderful memories I had of him are what helped me to grieve because I could recall on them.”

Morgan also worked as a hospice, focusing on dying AIDS patients. She eventually concentrated on her work as a chaplain volunteer because of advances in AIDS medicine.

As chaplain, Morgan gets the opportunity to interact with new mothers telling them “to read to their children. It not only stimulates the brain, but it gives the child curiosity to know things.”

This is why she believes her two kids, Greg Morgan, a neurologist, and Kathy Johnson, a psychology professor at Fresno State, are well educated and successful.

As a mother, she required her children to read 10 books per week. Morgan labels herself as a “very proud mother” and the greatest thing about her being a mother to her children “is that they love me too,” she said.

She and her daughter are extremely close due to the fact that they live one mile away from each other. Also, working on the same campus means they get to see even more of each other, whenever their schedules allow them to.

Morgan not only finds joy in helping and giving advice to her children and new mothers, but also in her co-workers.

“I love life and I love what I do and I like to make people feel good,” Morgan said.

Fellow librarians come to her for advice about life lessons and express their joy in working with her.

“She is a ray of sunshine. I certainly feel very blessed to have the opportunity to work with Peggie Morgan,” Julie Moore, a faculty catalog librarian, said. She even recalls a time when she ripped her favorite skirt and Morgan restitched it.

On her days off from work and volunteering, she takes trips to the Woodward Park Regional Library because she­ cannot get enough of being surrounded by books and learning.

On her personalized iPad she engraved the words, “life-long learner.”

“I got the best job in the world. There’s nothing bad about it,” she said.

“I don’t want to retire as long as I’m enjoying what I do,” Morgan said. “Even when I do retire I won’t just sit at home. There are hundreds of opportunities to find something to do.”

Whenever Morgan does choose to retire, she wants to be remembered as someone who always gave their best at any task given to them.

“Think of a picture frame,” Morgan said, “Every job I do is a self-portrait of Peggie. I don’t half way do anything.”

Even her daughter Kathy agrees and is always telling her mother that when she was younger, “Even when you mop the floor you do it with gusto.”

“Peggie Morgan is one of those people who make a positive difference in the lives of all those she comes in contact with and we will never forget how she made us feel,” Moore proudly said of her co-worker.