Solving the mystery of who is in the picture

Curiosity may have killed the cat, but that ageless adage opened a can of worms – and created quite the query – for women like Kathie Lombardo, Sheila Manney and Helen Antonizio.

On Saturday, the trio who volunteer for the Friends of Mohr Library spent time during Saturday’s used book sale showing a special picture to a host of people.

A hardcover book entitled Lucy in the Afternoon: An Intimate Memoir of Lucille Ball, which was written by Jim Brochu and reportedly published in 1990, was donated to the Friends of Mohr for one of their book sales.

As Antonizio, who heads the all-volunteer Friends’ group that provides valuable services for Johnston’s only public library, explained, “Whenever we receive book donations, we usually flip through the books checking on their condition.”

While Lombardo was flipping through the Lucy book, which was in great condition and was protected by a colorful jacket that covered the publication, she found a picture of a young man and woman who were dressed in semi-formal dress.

Saturday, the three women took turns showing people who attended the used book sale the photo and naturally inquiring if they knew either of the persons in the picture.

“It looks like a prom picture,” a man told Manney as soon as he saw the colored photo. “Nice backdrop, maybe it was taken at a country club.”

While Antinizio said, “It does look like a prom picture, doesn’t it,” every query came up empty.

“Whenever we find something inside a book, or read an inscription to someone in the front, or a note in a margin, we wonder about the story behind it,” she said. “However, in this case, there was none of that, and that further peaked Katie’s curiosity.”

But finding items inside books that have been donated to the Friends of Mohr is nothing new.

“We’ve found money, nothing more than a $5 bill so far, though,” Antonizio said. “We’ve found all kinds of things that people have used for bookmarks: a piece of yarn, memorial cards from wakes…I guess anything that might be around when they have to close a book in a hurry.”

When the Friends of Mohr received a donation of books, they take an extra look at some older or more interesting selections to see if they might be worth more than the usual book sale price.

While the Friends of Mohr haven’t placed a price on the Lucy book, Antonizio said it “is finding out more about the book or the author than we would have known just putting the book back on the shelf.”

And, she said, “finding out just who is the couple in that picture.”

If anyone can identify the two people in the photo, the Friends of Mohr Library would like them to call the library at (401) 231-4980.

When asked if there’s a prize or reward for information leading to the identification of the people in the photo, Antonizio said, “Yes, a membership in our group; we’re always looking for more helping hands.”