TOLEDO, Ohio — It's no mystery that The Toledo Lucas County Public Library took extra time and care to one particular room at the main branch. It holds thousands of pieces of Millie Benson's contributions to Toledo history.
"Apparently her friends and colleagues knew, 'oh yeah, she wrote Nancy Drew books,' but it didn't become a big deal until that Nancy Drew conference in 1993," Nancy Eames with the Toledo Lucas County Public Library said.
By 1993, Benson was almost 90 years old and few knew about her contribution to young adult literature.
The "Nancy Drew" books named "Carolyn Keene" as their author, even though Benson wrote 23 of the 30 original books.
"She worked really, really hard and consequently she was often writing 4 books a year," author of Missing Millie Benson Julie Rubini said.
Benson was a bit like Drew herself, on regular adventures for the truth as a journalist for the Toledo Blade.
She even had to prove her own truth in court, fighting to prove she was "Carolyn Keene" when someone else tried to take credit for her work.
"She became a pilot on her 70s. She applied for NASA's journalist in space program. She loved to travel and she had many great adventures abroad," Eames said.
Now, her legacy and work is archived with care in this corner of the library so everyone can continue to be swept up in a good mystery and maybe be inspired to be a little more like Millie.