Blane Dessy was much more than a great librarian

Blane Dessy at the February 15, 2026, Aging With Pride meeting at Lake Erie Counseling

Blane Dessy, 74, well-read and well-loved, entered into the great archive of the universe on March 14. Born in Pittsburgh, Blane received his Bachelor's in English from Indiana University of Pennsylvania and a Master's in Library Science from the University of Pittsburgh. He built libraries and the communities surrounding them at the local, state, and federal levels across Pennsylvania, Ohio, Oklahoma, Alabama, and Washington, D.C.

Blane served as the Director of Federal Enterprises with the Library of Congress, the Director of Libraries for the Department of Justice, and the Founding Director of the National Library of Education before retiring to Erie in 2018, where he became director of the Erie County Public Library.

Blane often found ways to lift the voices of writers and artists through education and advocacy. He became an architect of the Arts in Erie, launching NWPA Poetry and working closely with the Rotary, Erie Arts and Culture, the Erie Community Foundation, in addition to other organizations. Blane taught Library Science at the Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C., and later became the first employee and founding member of Erie County Community College.

Blane's love of art, music, dance, and literature, combined with his curatorial nature, led to the creation of a Bibliography of Erie Literature and collections of books, chapbooks, and signed copies from around the world. His daughter, Adrienne Burke, says that as a child, her dad often gave her signed copies of children's books to read.

In addition to Adrienne, Blane leaves behind his husband, Randy, as well as his brothers Tom and Kevin, and the arts and literary communities for whom he served as a heartbeat.

About the Author

David Gurzenski-Lukes David Gurzenski-Lukes has a bachelor's and master's degree in journalism from Arizona State University and the University of Arizona. He has a long career as an editor and communications professional for a number of universities, including UCLA. He was a publications editor for United Way of Greater Los Angeles and community relations director for Pacific Beach Community Hospital in San Diego, California. Since David has been retired, he has written a book, "A Gay Grandfather Grows Up," which details his difficult coming-out journey. While David has only been an Erie resident for a short period, he is already involved with various local organizations, including Aging With Pride. He has two daughters with professional careers. Jennifer is an attorney in Washington, DC, and Julie is a computer programmer in Jupiter, Florida. He also has two grandsons. Drew is a pilot with American Airlines, and Jake is a student at Florida State University.