ENCORE: Waukee Public Library to Host Reception to Honor Ori Family Today

The will host a reception tonight at 6 p.m. to honor the family of a former Waukee resident who remembered the library in his will last year.

Hiram Ori died in late 2010 at the age of 87. In his will, Ori left the Waukee Public Library nearly $700,000 to build a meeting room. It's the largest single gift ever given to the Waukee Public Library.

"They specified that we build a meeting room in honor of his parents," said Erik Surber, director of the Waukee Public Library. "I think he wanted to honor not only his parents, but also the immigrant community in general."

Surber said Ori and his family lived in Waukee and worked in the Shuler Mine, which operated in the first half of the 1900s. The money Ori willed to the library was designated as a way to honor his parents, Ernest and Casimira Ori, Italian immigrants who lived in Waukee until their deaths in 1974 and 1982, respectively.

Hiram Ori died on Oct. 22, 2010, in Denver, Colo. He served in the Army in both World War II and the Korean War, then worked for Coors Brewing Co. in Colorado. He is survived by a brother, Richard, and two sisters, Olga and Yolanda. Ori never married and had no children.

Richard Ori of Clive said he wasn't at all surprised that his older brother Hiram, the oldest of the Ori's 11 children, wanted to do something like this for the library.

"I think Hiram felt the library was a place for younger people to learn and advance," he said. "I wasn’t sure what his plans were but it was something he wanted and I'm glad he did it."

The meeting room, once built, could also house some of the historic artifacts pertaining to the Shuler Mine. Richard Ori said he's working with a committee made up of people who lived in the Shuler camp who want to establish museum for the coal miners.

Richard Ori said it's a fitting tribute not only for his parents, but also for Hiram.

"I think he would be very pleased," Ori said. "The recognition this will bring for our family and those from Shuler...he would be very pleased."