Helen Jensen was the spine of the library for decades

The Cloquet Library has been blessed with tremendously dedicated staff and volunteers over the years.

One of those was Helen Jensen, a 40-year employee of the library, whose name would be near the top of any hypothetical list of dedicated community contributors to this resource.

Jensen was hired as the library's first children's librarian in 1936, and was appointed director in November 1944. She would serve as director for 32 years, until December 1976.

Kathy Blais, a fellow library board member, grew up on Summit Avenue as Helen Jensen's neighbor. Kathy, along with Charlie Jensen and his twin sister Kathleen (nicknamed "Kewpie") Stamm provided much of the information about "Aunt Helen."

Helen Jensen was born on Dec. 27, 1911 in Cloquet to immigrant parents, her father from Denmark and her mother from Norway. Even though her father had only a sixth-grade education, schooling was of preeminent importance in the Jensen household. She had five other siblings and all of them eventually attended the University of Minnesota.

According to family history, Jensen always had a book in her hands, skipped a grade in school and went on to graduate from Cloquet High School in 1928. She attended what today is the University of Minnesota Duluth for two years after high school and then went to the University of Minnesota to get a library degree.

Being the era of the Depression, jobs were hard to come by. Jensen was hired at the Cloquet Library as the children's librarian in 1936. Her niece Kathleen said she became "a career woman" before that term was popular.

"She, and others of that time, considered work as service. Aunt Helen's service was to the Cloquet library," Stamm said.

Jensen was appointed library director In 1944, and she held that position for 32 years until her retirement.

Probably the thing she is most remembered for is the library's annual puppet shows. Jensen and others created and built the marionettes and related characters for the great productions they specifical.

"Aunt Helen was an expert at the many required voices. I think the witches were her favorites, but she was the furthest thing from a witch to me!"

The shows included classics such as "Cinderella," "Hansel and Gretel" and "Snow White." A traveling stage was built, so the show could travel through the community.