Over the weekend, the King's English, Salt Lake City, Utah, celebrated 44 years in business, and friends and colleagues from across the country gathered to honor co-founder Betsy Burton on her retirement. (In May, Burton sold her majority interest to Calvin Crosby, who at the time was the executive director of the California Independent Booksellers Alliance.) Former American Booksellers Association CEO Oren Teicher was among the speakers, and TKE marketing manager Rob Eckman served as the master of ceremonies.
Pictured: (top row. l.-r.) TKE booksellers Nathan Spottford, Sam Dutton, Annie Marks; Kaitlin Mahoney (Under the Umbrella Bookstore, Salt Lake City); Oren Teicher; Tony and Catherine Weller (Weller Book Works, Salt Lake City); Nancy (a friend of Betsy); Mountains & Plains Independent Booksellers Association executive director Heather Duncan; Randy Hickernell (Hachette); Margarete Neville (TKE); Dan Christiaens (Norton); Ruth Liebmann (PRH). Bottom row (l.-r.): TKE booksellers Michaela Riding, Kurstin Spangle, Calvin Crosby, Jan Sloan; Betsy Burton; Gayle Shanks (Changing Hands, Tempe and Phoenix, Ariz.); and bookseller Sarah Ray.
Celebrating Betsy Burton's Retirement
Not pictured: Rob Eckman (holding down the desk) and TKE co-owner Anne Holman, who is busy being a new grandmother.