Cleona podiatrist who founded Palmyra Public Library celebrates 100th birthday

Most people are lucky to make one lasting contribution to humanity in their lifetime. 

For Dr. Catherine “Kitty” Hand of Cleona, she’s had the good fortune to have been a positive force for the betterment of mankind in her medical practice and via her philanthropy in Lebanon County. 

At a recent celebration at Lebanon Country Club to commemorate and celebrate her upcoming 100th birthday on Jan. 17, LebTown asked the soon-to-be centenarian what she believes her biggest legacy to the Lebanon Valley is. 

“The Palmyra Public Library,” Hand, who founded the library in the 1950s, said, without missing a beat. “My dream became a reality. That’s all I can say. I mean, when I was even thinking about it, I thought, ‘Yeah, it would be nice to have a library here in town, for Palmyra.’ And Palmyra was good to me, so it was time for me to do something good for Palmyra.”

Hand, who practiced podiatry for 42 years in Palmyra, not only put her patients on firm footing but also the library, which grew from a few thousand resources when founded to an asset worth millions of dollars today.

Hand’s legacy to the community was honored during a birthday celebration at the club by 30 attendees, including LebTown which was exclusively invited to cover the event.

Deb Buckfelder, North Londonderry Township’s representative to the library and one of Hand’s friends, was among several guest speakers to highlight the good doctor’s contributions to the local community.

“When Kitty started the library, that was one of the top agendas. There was a story hour for children every Saturday morning, and it still continues to be the biggest draw around,” Buckfelder said. “In fact, the Palmyra Library was one of six libraries in the whole state of Pennsylvania that have the educational tools and actually the processes for qualifying for educational monies from businesses so that they can go through that because we meet all of the regs for early childhood development.” 

Buckfelder noted that Hand came to Palmyra in 1949, eventually opening, along with the assistance of the Junior’s Women’s Club, a library in the borough hall in 1954, which Hand said during the presentation had about 1,200 books when it began.

She said between August 1954 and February 1956, 5,152 items were checked out at the library, adding that circulation in 1970 was up to 41,175. “She started some good stuff here, I’ll tell you,” noted Buckfelder.

The library’s founding filled a void. 

Hand said after the event that she had originally wanted to open a business in Hershey, but the town already had one, so she explored opening a medical practice in Palmyra. During the presentation, it was noted that she was denied a business loan so, before boarding the bus back to Reading, she thought she’d kill some time by visiting the local library.

However, she discovered that one did not exist. Hand shared the story with LebTown. 

“I was sitting out on the steps outside the bank waiting for the next bus to come to take me home. And I didn’t know when the bus was coming, but anyway, I was going to have to wait for it and I thought, ‘Well, I’ll go to the library,’ but they don’t have one,” Hand said. “So then, 1953, I was president of the Junior Women’s Club, and we wanted a project for the club. Bing, the lights went on and I thought, ‘There is no library.’”

This was an easy passion project for Hand, who always had easy access to a local library in her hometown of Reading since she lived near a branch and spent many hours within its friendly confines as a young girl.

“As a kid I only lived a block away from a branch of the Reading Library, and I would run back and forth constantly reading,” Hand said. “I’d get a book, take it home and read it, take it back and get another one.”

Buckfelder said that the initial investment of $700 in the Palmyra Library in the early 1950s has returned millions of dollars in value to the local community.

“In 2014, when you value all those materials, services, and programs – because MIT has their big database on books and all that – the value to the Palmyra community was $2,412,925. So $2.5 million from $700, right?” Buckfelder said. “So 77 years ago, our then 23-year-old Kitty, sitting on the steps, had that vision for the library. And under her leadership, she really rallied the Palmyra Junior Women’s Club to embark on that journey.”

Buckfelder stated the debt of gratitude from the community for her generosity is immense.

“Palmyra will be forever grateful to Kitty. She coupled her education and community values, along with her dedicated work ethic, to create a crucial and permanent institution of education and lifelong – getting choked up here, Kitty – lifelong learning experiences,” Buckfelder said, before pausing to gather her composure. “And I do mean this sincerely. When you have an opportunity, please stop by and visit the Palmyra Library. As you approach the library, you will notice it’s called the Dr. C.H. Hand Library. And I hope every time you look at that sign, remember how Kitty’s idea sparked an entire community.”

Dr. Hand, the foot doctor

Event organizer and master of ceremonies Karen Byerly Nicholson highlighted Hand’s work in the medical profession in Lebanon County in a practice that lasted over four decades. 

“Today, we’re gathered to celebrate something truly and remarkable. A woman who’s reached 100 years old and still has everyone standing in attention. Which, given her profession, feels pretty appropriate,” Nicholson said. “Reaching 100 years is impressive. Reaching 100 years as a doctor of podiatry is downright iconic. After all, she spent her life making sure other people could stand, run, and complain usually about their feet. She just didn’t help people get back on their feet, she made sure they did it properly with good alignment, proper footwear, and no excuses.”

Nicholson added many have her to thank for putting them “on their feet” with her medical knowledge.

“Many of us here are walking proof of her expertise and possibly still afraid to wear the wrong shoes,” Nicholson said to much laughter. “Practicing medicine in her day wasn’t easy as a woman. She had to be tough, smart, and determined – qualities she clearly mastered early on. Anyone who can survive medical school, decades of patience, and a hundred years of life has earned the right to say, ‘I’ve seen it all, and I warned you about those shoes.’” 

Nicholson told LebTown after the birthday presentations that Hand was like an aunt to her because her mother Lucille Byerly and Kitty were best friends. 

“Beyond her professional achievements, she has been a teacher, a mentor, a role model, and a source of strength for family, friends, and colleagues. Her life reminds us that true success isn’t measured only in the years lived, but in the lives touched. And she has touched many,” Nicholson said. “Her patients trusted her, her colleagues respected her, and her friends learned quickly that if anything was below the ankle, she knew why. So today, we celebrate a century of wisdom, compassion, resilience, and perfectly supported arches. May we all continue to walk through life with the strength, grace, and confidence she’s shown us. So please join me in celebrating 100 incredible years and wishing her continued joy, peace, and love.”

Hand shared with the audience what motivated her to become a foot doctor. An incident at a young age formulated what would later become her profession.

“I had something on the side of my foot. My mother told me to pick it off, so I did. It became infected,” Hand remembered. “When I did wanna go to college, which I didn’t think was gonna happen, (someone) said to me, ‘What do you wanna study?’ The lights went on: chiropody (precursor to podiatry). It’s now podiatry. And that’s how I got to chiropody school. I followed through on that because I thought that’s a good idea. Help somebody else to have less problems with their feet.”

Another one of her achievements was creating the podiatry clinic at Cedar Haven in Lebanon.

“The county had just built Cedar Haven, and we asked the county if they would give us space in the new Cedar Haven building for a podiatry clinic. That was the Serendipitous Club,” Hand recalled. “So they (the county) did, the Serendipitous Club furnished the room, and then I was a podiatrist there for 25 years.”

Nicholson noted Hand still drives her car and has a sharp sense of humor with her neighbors, friends and family members from her husband’s side.

“She was raised in Reading and she was engaged for 33 years to Richard Early. And we thought it (getting married) was never going to happen. So one day we came out here to the country club. She invited her friends and we just thought it was a regular party,” she remembered. “We didn’t know it was going to be something special. So the two of them got up and said, ‘We’re married.’ We couldn’t believe it because he was the love of her life.”

Nicholson said Hand enjoys travel, having visited six of the seven continents. (Hand later told LebTown that she’s visited about 55 countries and 46 states.) 

“One time she called me, she said, ‘Karen, can you go to France with me for free because Dick can’t go?” And I was like, ‘Oh wow, I’d love to do that, but I just started this new job and I can’t do it.’ That was the worst decision of my life,” Nicholson said. “She loves animals, particularly dogs, and cats, and enjoys cooking and entertaining friends.”

Nicholson noted that Hand financed herself through school as a sales clerk, secretary, and a waitress at the seashore during summer vacations.

Hand also had the pleasure of being on two television shows to represent her industry. 

“She was on ‘What’s My Line?’ Does anybody remember ‘What’s My Line?’” Nicholson said. “She also has a citation from the Pennsylvania House of Representatives in 2019 for her exemplary record and contributions in keeping the highest ideals of the commonwealth. So she has quite a background and (track) record.”

The “What’s My Line?” episode featuring Hand can be found on YouTube here. Her segment begins at the 18:54 mark of the video and starts with host John Daly asking Hand to sign in, which is a hallmark of that television program.

Hand told LebTown she earned $10 for appearing on that episode and that the segment on “I’ve Got a Secret” entailed a number of professionals whose names had a quirky relationship to their job.

“That night, instead of having a secret, they just had a fun night. It was Gary Moore (the host),” Hand said. “They had four of us with odd name occupation combinations. Hand and foot, and Mr. Strung was a guitar teacher. The gatekeeper was St. Peter, and a dentist from Florida was Donut Yell.”

LebTown asked the inevitable question of the secret to her longevity.

“I guess just eating well. I mean, just my whole life I’ve been about, as far as food is concerned, insisting on good, solid food every day. I’m not a junk food eater. I just want good food,” she said.

LebTown also asked Hand what wish she made when she blew out the single candle on a piece of her birthday cake. 

“Not gonna tell you ’cause it won’t come true,” she remarked with a mischievous smile on her face and gleam in her eye.