DETROIT — In a heartwarming twist of fate, a Chicago man has made headlines for returning a baseball book to his childhood library, 50 years overdue.
Chuck Hildebrandt, 63, visited the Warren public library during Thanksgiving, bringing back “Baseball’s Zaniest Stars,” which he borrowed as a 13-year-old in 1974 but never returned.
Reflecting on his past, Hildebrandt shared, “When you’re moving with a bunch of books, you don’t really examine every title. I just packed them up.” It wasn’t until years later that he found the book with a Dewey decimal library number and a due date slip indicating it was due back in 1974.
Deciding to return the book for its 50th anniversary, Hildebrandt hoped to spotlight the unique circumstance. After meeting with the library director, he learned that the overdue status was forgiven, as his account had been erased from their system.
“Some people never come back to face the music,” the library director remarked about patrons with overdue books. “But there was really no music to face.”
In a gesture of goodwill, Hildebrandt is now fundraising for Reading is Fundamental, a nonprofit literacy organization, aiming to raise $4,564—the equivalent of a 50-year late fee—and starting with a personal contribution of $457.
