Change makes for a fulfilling life for retired librarian

Northborough - Dorothy "Dotty" Ann (Koroly) Johnson was born in McKeesport, Penn., in August 1929.

"I felt really loved and cared for," Dotty said of her parents.

Her father often took Dotty and her brother and sister to the library, fostering in them a love of reading and learning, although he only finished the sixth grade himself.

Dotty's love of learning and willingness to venture down new paths would influence her life choices. After graduating high school, she enrolled in Duquesne University in Pittsburgh and began contemplating life as a missionary sister.

After a year, she entered religious life at Our Lady of Victory Missionary Sisters at Victory Noll in Huntington, Ind. After three years of training, she performed missionary work in several states, including California, Utah and Wyoming.

"We were founded to serve the poorest of the poor," Dotty said, adding that much of their work focused on the gang-ridden east side of Los Angeles.

The sisters were also assigned the task of taking the parish census in, of all places, Beverly Hills. Dotty recalled speaking with Gary Cooper outside his spacious California home. Despite his movie star status, Dotty said she preferred working with the poor families who needed assistance.

Left- Dorothy "Dotty" Johnson author of "Rupert and the Orange Jello Salad." But after 14 years of missionary work, and much reflection, Dotty decided to leave the Victory Noll Sisters. At 37, she chose another path, with the sisters' best wishes.

"I went back to school," Dotty said. She earned her bachelor's degree and then a master's degree in library science from the University of Pittsburgh.

Ready for more changes, Dotty took a job as children's librarian at the Worcester Public Library in 1969. That same year, she met Richard Johnson at a dance near Boston College, his alma mater. The couple married in May 1971, moving to Northborough in 1973.

A year later, they adopted Heidi, a toddler from South Korea. Dotty wasn't concerned about language issues when her daughter first arrived.

"When there's love there, you just don't need that many words," Dotty said. Today, Heidi is married and lives in Worcester.

Right- Dotty (Koroly) Johnson as a baby in 1929 with her mother at their McKeesport, Penn., home. A few years later, Dotty transferred to the reference department where, as documents librarian, she enjoyed working with the Worcester Public Library's abundance of federal documents, such as the Federal Register (official publication of government regulations) and the Congressional Record (proceedings of the U.S. Congress). In 1991, Dotty retired after 22 years.

Never one to sit idle, Dotty took up writing poetry, memoirs and short stories. And she attended writing and literature classes at the Worcester Art Museum and the Worcester Institute for Senior Education program at Assumption College.

Dotty's most recent project is the publication of a children's book, "Rupert and the Orange Jello Salad," that features two mischievous leprechauns named Rupert and Abedenego.

"I'm delighted to see these little guys come to life," Dotty said of her characters. And she was thrilled to be able to share them at the Northborough Library's Story Hour Dec. 13 and the Northborough Senior Center Dec. 11.

ALL PHOTOS/SUBMITTED Above- Dotty (Koroly) Johnson (left) at age 13, with her brother Edward, 6, and sister Marilyn, 10, in the backyard of their McKeesport, Penn., home, taken in 1942. "I see the whole thing as a gift," Dotty said of her latest adventure.

So, what's next for Dotty? She said she plans to keep writing - more stories, more characters, just waiting for Dotty to take them down new and exciting pathways.

Book information can be found at authorstobelievein.com/rupert. and.orange.jello.htm.

Story ideas? Contact Catherine@ CatherineCairns.com.

Top right- Dotty Johnson (center) with her daughter, Heidi, and husband, Richard, in their Northborough home, taken in 1975. Bottom right- Dotty Koroly (center) with other Victory Noll Missionary Sisters in California, taken in 1956.