Charles Jarvis Jenkins, former Penn Libraries operations manager, died on April 22. He was 82.

Born in Rich Square, North Carolina, he moved to Philadelphia with his family in the 1950s. In 1958, Mr. Jenkins graduated from Overbrook High School.

Mr. Jenkins started working at the University of Pennsylvania as a stack attendant before he was promoted to the Van Pelt Library night supervisor. He was the first African American library administrator in charge of operations, maintenance, and security in all of Penn Libraries. He was promoted to manager of operational services at Van Pelt Library before retiring in 1999 after 41 years of service.

At Penn, he oversaw visiting dignitaries, including Presidents and Vice Presidents of the United States and other celebrities, but he considered his most memorable guest to be movie star Cicely Tyson. He served as a member of Penn’s Librarians’ Assembly Executive Board.

Mr. Jenkins is survived by his sister, Brenda Kay Jenkins; his children, Crystal Richardson, Tonya West (Jimmy), and Charles Anthony Jenkins; his grandchildren, Christopher West (Stacey), Nicolle Jones (Mike), India Harris, Jamie West, and Brooke Richardson; his great-grandchildren, Mia Harris and Zoey Harris; his former wife, Catherine Blackman; stepsons, Curtis Jennings, Paul Blackman, Ronnie Blackman, and Walter Blackman; and several nieces, nephews, cousins, family, and close friends.