Pequot Library Annual Report 2022-2023

A L etter from the Executive Director and the President of the Board of Trustees

It is with much appreciation for your continued support that we present to you the 2022-2023 annual report outlining a list of accomplishments and highlights of this past fiscal year. Most of all we are indebted to the community of supporters, volunteers, and staff who make Pequot Library the beloved library and community cultural hub that it is.

Our new professional hires have infused the library with energy, complementing the stellar team already in place. We welcomed Charlie McMahon, Adult Programs Manager, to the team. John Kofron joined the staff as Pequot Library’s Youth and Teen Library Services Manager along with Princess McMann as Special Collections Assistant. We also hired Alexandra (Alex) Heekin as our Development/Administrative Assistant. Circulation Desk representatives Vasilia Kaouris and Tierney Latham, our new AV assistant, have both been key additions to the library services staff.

Highlights from our adult programs this past year included the launch of our new biannual Literary Luncheon on September 16 with bestselling author Fiona Davis, who spoke about her latest novel, The Magnolia Palace. Hometown favorite Lian Dolan spoke at the library on October 27 to a crowd of approximately 100 guests. As part of our major fundraising initiatives, the Derby Day celebration welcomed record attendance, with over 600 guests, and raised much-needed funds for the library. The Southport Garden Stroll attracted over 800 attendees—more than ever! We launched a refreshed Young Patrons Group that attracted over 30 new library supporters and celebrated our legacy planned giving group The 1889 Society.

All of this and more could not have been accomplished without the dedication of our stellar professional staff and dedicated volunteers. Most of all we are proud to have completed the library’s strategic plan for 2023-2026 reflecting our renewed commitment to our unique role with a vision statement, “Pequot Library will foster lifelong learning by being a vital destination library and cultural hub, ‘free as air to all.’”

We extend our deepest appreciation to departing board members Thomas Lawlor, Jennifer Bradford Kennedy, and James Powers while we welcome incoming board members Ali Fellowes, Rob Johnson, John Turitzen, and Bob Svensk. We look forward to seeing you at Pequot Library often, and please be sure to bring friends and family members. There’s always something new and different to experience at Pequot Library.

With appreciation,

Stephanie J. Coakley

Coke Anne Wilcox Executive Director President of the Board of Trustees

As a public association library 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, Pequot Library relies on the generosity of the Town of Fairfield, donors, corporate and community partners, and Friends of Pequot Library memberships.

Board of Trustees and Staff

OFFICERS

Coke Anne Wilcox, President

Caroline Calder, Executive Vice President

Christopher Wright, Vice President of Investments

Ellen Levinson, Treasurer

Kelly D. Laferriere, Assistant Treasurer

Lynn Van Winkle, Secretary

TRUSTEES

Caroline Gibson

Jennifer Bradley Kennedy

Lynne Laukhuf

Thomas Lawlor

Dan McHale

James Powers

Margaret Rieck

Charlotte Rogan

Belinda Shepard

Blythe Bracey Smith

Libby McKinney-Tritschler

Matt Wagner

Richard “Deej” Webb

EX-OFFICIO

Nelson North

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

Stephanie J. Coakley

DEVELOPMENT AND ADMINISTRATION

Grace Calderon, Development Manager

as of September 21, 2023

Alexandra Heekin, Development and Administrative Assistant*

MARKETING AND COMMUNICATIONS

Victoria Konopka, Special Projects Graphic Designer*

Jessica McEntee, Marketing Associate*

Jennifer Prat, Creative Projects Manager (through July 2023)*

SPECIAL COLLECTIONS AND EXHIBITIONS

Cecily Dyer, Special Collections Librarian

Princess McCann, Special Collections Assistant*

ADULT AND COLLEGE/UNIVERSITY PROGRAMS

Charlie McMahon, Adult Programs Manager

CHILDREN’S LIBRARY AND YOUTH PROGRAMS

John Kofron, Youth & Teen Library Services Manager

Jane Manners, Children’s Librarian*

CIRCULATION DESK AND TECHNICAL SERVICES

Christine Catallo, Chief Librarian

Vasilia Kaouris*

Meghan Klemm (through April 2023)*

Tierney Latham*

Leslie Mahtani*

Denise Martin*

Natalie Martino*

Kay Naka*

Barbara Valk*

BUILDING MAINTENANCE AND BOOK SALES

Owen Lockwood

Bob Repko

CONTRACTED TEAM

John Gleckler, Finance/H.R. Manager

Shirley Ferguson Jenks, Development/Fundraising

Janet Zamparo, Grant Writer

*Part-time staff member

Financial Report

* Amounts are based on the information from the audited financial statements.

(1) FY22-23 capital improvements of $5,353, and grants and contributions reserves for future capital expenditures.

(2) Net Operating Income reflects an increase in operating cash to fund prior year operating loss and future operating and capital costs.

Year in Review Dashboard

Year in Review Dashboard

*Pequot Library items checked out at all three Fairfield libraries.

Advancement/Development

ADVANCEMENT/DEVELOPMENT

June 2022 through July 2023 brought special events, new patrons, and more ways to support Pequot Library than ever before.

In addition to the three book sales, Pequot Library hosted three major fundraising events: a Literary Luncheon and annual favorites Derby Day and the Southport Garden Stroll. Support for these events exceeded goals in almost every way, and we are so grateful to those who attended and sponsored the events.

The library has embraced the membership-based system while remaining a free, public library in which anyone can access library services, the circulating collection, and nearly all of the programming at no cost. A patron who makes an unrestricted donation of at least $50 is considered a voting member of the library. We have 414 members and have a goal to double that number in the next three years. While almost all of the dynamic programming offered at Pequot Library is “free as air to all,” the library began instituting membersonly programs to recognize and thank those who support the library financially because about 80 percent of the operating budget must be contributed from patrons like you.

The library has also been seeking additional underwriting for programming and was successful in securing sponsorships for the Under the Arches Chamber Music Series, a Meet the Author Jr. event, and several of the Community Events like the 4th of July Bike Parade, Easter Egg Roll, and the Holiday Caroling Party.

ANNUAL FUND APPEALS

Annual appeals are the bread and butter of any nonprofit fundraising strategy and are absolutely vital, and we are so grateful to all of you

who supported our annual fund this year. This year the total revenue from all three appeals amounted to $221,142, a 5 percent increase over the previous year. Our revamped and revitalized membership program now appropriately acknowledges donors of all levels, and we are looking forward to offering even more members-only events. We would like to extend a special thank you to Chair Belinda Shepard and the members of the Development Committee for their tireless efforts in helping the library accomplish its mission and fundraising goals.

LIBRARY GIVING DAY & YOUNG PATRONS GROUP

Pequot Library celebrated Library Giving Day on April 4, 2023. This is a day celebrated in the United States and Canada by participating libraries during which book lovers and people who value all that libraries stand for can show their support for their local institutions. Pequot Library offered a drop-in storytime for kids and a historic building tour. Funds raised on Library Giving Day totaled $9,656 from 61 donors. The proceeds from this appeal supported the bookpurchasing budget, allowing the library to purchase additional materials for the circulating collection, available to all library patrons at no cost.

On the evening of Library Giving Day, Pequot Library launched a renewed Young Patrons Group in order to create a special membership level for donors under 49 years of age. The launch for this refreshed group included a cocktail reception followed by speaker Courtney White, former president of the Food Network and HGTV, who launched her own food and lifestyle production company called Butternut. Courtney connected her presentation to one of the library’s holdings in the Special Collections, the Pepperidge Farm cookbook. Over 30 young people joined the Young Patrons Group this spring, including Courtney and her husband Keric Kenny, and the

Advancement/Development

library is grateful for their support. The Development Committee looks forward to creating more meaningful opportunities for the Young Patrons Group to come together and get to know this special institution.

FOUNDATION and GRANT SUPPORT

During FY23, Pequot Library was the proud recipient of grant awards for General Operations, Technology Enhancements, Passport to Pequot: K-12 School Programs, the long-standing Books for Teachers program, and Special Collections exhibitions and public programs.

• CT Humanities (CTH) CT Cultural Fund awarded Pequot Library $79,500 for general operating support. The CTH CT Cultural Fund also enabled Pequot Library to join the Library Speakers Consortium, which pools the resources of 150 library systems to “dramatically expand” digital access to all patrons for live talks with bestselling authors who often require fees that are unaffordable to single library systems. (Support was provided to Pequot Library from CTH, with funding provided by the Connecticut State Department of Economic and Community Development/ Connecticut Office of the Arts (COA) from the Connecticut State Legislature.

• Fairfield Rotary granted the library $1,000 for a Special Collections laptop.

• Anonymous Foundation granted $6,700 for IT network and cybersecurity updates.

• The M&T Foundation awarded $2,500 and Pequot Runners awarded $1,500 for Passport to Pequot: K-12 Schools Programs, educational outreach that includes docent-led tours of Special Collections exhibitions featuring primary source material and Meet the Orchestra concerts with orchestral musicians for students attending Bridgeport Public Schools (BPS). Pequot Library

offers the program at no cost to Title One schools, including bus transportation.

• The Renée B. Fisher Foundation rendered its support with $1,500, administration costs for the Books for Teachers program (a longstanding program that provides books vouchers for teachers to expand their classroom libraries) in Bridgeport and New Haven public schools, along with selected schools in Norwalk, Stratford, Ansonia, and Derby.

• CT Humanities Quick Grant awarded $4,999 for the Special Collections exhibition Alphabets, Bedtime Stories, and Cautionary Tales: Children’s Books and the Shaping of American Identity

FOUNDATIONS

Pequot Library is extremely grateful to the 14 family foundations who provided support to Pequot Library last year. A $10,000 grant from the Quidditch Foundation will help Pequot Library restore the stained glass windows in the auditorium, and a $5,000 grant from the Emily Hall Tremaine Foundation allowed the library to purchase additional ebooks and audiobooks. In addition to these important restricted gifts, the library is thankful to the family foundations who gave unrestricted annual gifts, especially the Clarence and Anne Dillon Dunwalke Trust, the Wilmot Wheeler Foundation, the Shelter Hill Foundation, the Grace Jones Richardson Trust, and the Steven Della Rocca Memorial Fund.

BUSINESS/CORPORATE CONTRIBUTIONS

Pequot Library continues to be grateful to the business/corporate community in Southport and beyond for underwriting Special Events. This year, 50 organizations sponsored Pequot Library’s events in the amount of over $62,000, a 17 percent increase over the prior year.

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Advancement/Development

The Literary Luncheon raised $7,250 in corporate support, Derby Day’s sponsorship exceeded $20,000 for the second year in a row, and the Garden Stroll increased the sponsorship by 13 percent over last year to $22,000. We are especially appreciative of the four local businesses who support Pequot Library at the Caldecott Club Level ($5,000 per year): Kasson Jewelers, Oliver Nurseries and Design, On the Harbor, and The Russell Agency.

GOVERNMENT GRANTS

The Town of Fairfield continues to provide vital support to Pequot Library in the annual amount of $350,000. This funding is absolutely crucial to maintaining the operations of Pequot Library, and it amounts to around 20 percent of the annual operating budget. The Town of Fairfield appropriation has remained level since 2009.

SPECIAL EVENTS and BOOK SALES

Pequot Library hosted three special events last year. The first was a Literary Luncheon in September with guest of honor Fiona Davis, author of The Magnolia Palace, about the Frick Collection in New York City. Nearly 120 people attended this daytime author talk/luncheon, which raised over $16,000 for the library. Derby Day returned on May 6. It once again sold out, with over 600 attendees. This event raised just shy of $100,000 for the first time, and it is far and away the most successful singular fundraising event at Pequot Library.

The Southport Garden Stroll returned for its fourth year for another beautiful two-day event in June. The cocktail party on Thursday evening was held at a private home on Southport Harbor with guest speaker Marisa Marcantonio. Over 800 strollers on Friday enjoyed touring 10 private gardens, browsing the wares for sale by vendors on the Great Lawn, and eating preordered lunches provided by Gruel Britannia. The Southport Garden Stroll raised over $65,200 dollars this year, a 29 percent increase over the prior year.

Pequot Library continued the tradition of hosting three on-site book sales throughout the year with the 61st Summer Book Sale, the Black Friday Book Sale, and the Midwinter Book Sale. Revenue from on-site

and online book sales totaled just over $240,000 for the year—a 5.8% increase over the prior year.

RESTRICTED FUNDS and UNDERWRITING

Pequot Library thanks four generous individuals for underwriting the first annual Under the Arches Chamber Music Series: Jane K. Dean, Roberta Hodgson, Peg and Nelson North, and an anonymous donor. Fourteen donors supported the Jennifer Crosby Cargill “Lipstick and Pearls” Fund, which the library was able to use to sponsor the Special Collections exhibition Book Beautiful: Selections from the Private Press Movement. Six donors contributed to the Meet the Author fund, which allows Pequot Library to host celebrated and interesting writers. Special thanks go out to Joan M. and Jeremy Frost, Cynthia and Michael Crawford, and Sean and Megan Kelly for supporting the Special Collections at Pequot Library.

The library is especially grateful to Morgan Stanley Smith Barney, Independent Jewelers Organization, and Southport Veterinary Center, who supported the Holiday Caroling Party; Nichols MD of Fairfield for underwriting the Easter Egg Roll and the Holiday Caroling Party; Celie Campbell Realtor and Cosmetic and Reconstructive Dentistry for helping to fund Meet the Author programs; and Sacred Heart University for partially supporting the 4th of July Bike Parade.

IN-KIND

Pequot Library gratefully acknowledges all of the individuals and businesses who support the library with in-kind donations. Everything from Silent Auction items to bottles of bourbon to hosting receptions on behalf of the library helps Pequot Library meet its fundraising goals. The library is especially thankful to Samuel W. Cargill, Fresh Flower Bar, Oliver’s Nurseries and Design, Polly Roessler and Lenie Epifano, Bill and Erin Russell, and Libby McKinney Tritschler for their generosity, as well as Fairfield Veterinary Hospital’s Dr. Timothy Plunkett for animal care for Coco, the library’s rabbit.

Community Relations and Outreach

DOCENTS AND VOLUNTEERS

There are several Book Sale team members in the library every day managing all methods of bookselling. Over 200 volunteers gathered at the library for our annual Summer Book Sale to run this large fundraiser that attracts nearly 10,000 book lovers from across the region.

Pequot Library is also grateful for the friends and neighbors who volunteer their time to make the fundraising events as successful as possible. This year we were delighted to have local garden clubs act as docents during the Southport Garden Stroll. We also thank National Charity League (NCL) and Scholars & Athletes Serving Others (SASO), who help make our fundraisers, book sales, and community events run smoothly—always with a positive attitude.

COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIPS

Pequot Library is proud to partner with numerous peer organizations and institutions to heighten awareness of pertinent issues, working together to engage in important conversations, as well as provide entertainment. In FY23, Pequot Library worked closely with a number of professors and students from Yale University, Harvard University, Fairfield University, and Fordham University, to present its academic programming. In regards to environmental stewardship, the library worked closely with organizations such as Lights Out Connecticut, the Audubon Society, Yale University, Aspetuck Land Trust, Sustainable Fairfield, and Pollinator Pathway. For entertainment, we are incredibly grateful for our lasting relationships with Shakespeare on the Sound, Norwalk Symphony, Greenwich Symphony Orchestra, and Orchestra Lumos of Stamford. We have been fortunate to partner with West Hartford’s Noah Webster House and Historical Society, Canterbury’s Prudence Crandall Museum, New Haven’s Yale Center for British Art, as well as the Merritt Parkway Conservancy to host dynamic public programs.

Buildings and Grounds Improvements

As part of our ongoing maintenance, we had the protective plexiglass outside of our historic (c. 1898) Tiffany & Co. windows removed and replaced. Following a busy ’22 fiscal year, which included the completion of the roof project, major tree maintenance, and completion of the HVAC ductwork cleaning, FY ’23 can be considered a light year. During ’23 we continued with our computer replacement plan, purchased small furniture and fixtures, completed light landscaping including a natural barrier near the storage containers, and kept current with our preventive maintenance plans. For FY ’24 we are planning for several projects including the completion of the auditorium stained glass restoration, replacement of the Pequot Library sign on the Great Lawn, and continuous computer upgrades and security.

In Memoriam

Please join us in celebrating the lives and memories of these friends and supporters who passed away in fiscal year July 1, 2022 through June 30, 2023.

David Austin

Margaret (Pegge)

Armstrong Axline

Florence Blum

Frank Fortunati

Arline Gertzoff

Thomas Hall

Burton Hatheway

John Meehan

Helyne Merwin

Donna Naber

Edward Pratt

Meghan Raveis

Robert Regan

Robert Rotanz

Bruce Salvo

Wilma Sielert

Pearson Spaght

Planned Giving

THE 1889 SOCIETY

Pequot Library welcomed five new members to its 1889 Society: Anne Estelle, Meg and Steve Francis, Belinda Shepard, and H. Melanie Smith. We thank these and the other living members of this society of supporters who have provided for Pequot Library in their estate plans. Their forward thinking will allow Pequot Library to thrive for generations to come. To thank these donors, Pequot Library hosted two receptions for the Society as well as the library’s major donors.

BEQUESTS

Pequot Library was the grateful recipient of three bequests last year totaling $117,079. Pequot Library is very grateful to the estates of Susan Converse Winslow, Satenig St. Marie, and Bruce Salvo, one of the library’s most beloved volunteers. Pequot Library is extremely honored to be included in the estate plans of these three devoted supporters, as well as the other members of the 1889 Society.

LIVING MEMBERS OF THE 1889 SOCIETY

Anonymous

Celie Campbell

Virginia K. Cargill

Jane K. Dean

Anne Estelle

Meg and Steve Francis

Cathy Lee Gruhn

John E. Herzog

Schuyler Huntoon

Lynne Laukhuf

Carol Reeves Parke

Dr. Ann Reeves

Belinda J. Shepard

Melanie Smith

Supporter Spotlight

SATENIG ST. MARIE | JUNE 2, 1927 – FEBRUARY 3, 2022

Satenig St. Marie was born in Brockton, Massachusetts on June 2, 1927. In 1959 she married dentist Dr. Gerald St. Marie and the two settled in Westport, Connecticut because of their commutes—hers to NYC and his to New Haven. Satenig had a long career serving as the first female vice president of J.C. Penney Company, Inc. and executive director of the Antiques Dealers’ Association of America. She was also a writer who wrote for Victorian Homes magazine for many years and published two books: Homes Are for People in 1973 and Romantic Victorian Weddings: Then and Now in 1992. She enjoyed coming to Pequot Library to do research for her articles.

An expert in all things Victorian, Satenig acquired an amazing collection of dollhouses over her lifetime. She stipulated in her will that the dollhouses, or the proceeds from the sale of the dollhouses, should be left to Pequot Library.

After Satenig’s passing, through her executor, Pequot Library received over $37,000 from the sale of these wonderful treasures. The library is indebted to Satenig and so grateful to honor her memory here at the library. Her forwardthinking contribution has provided Pequot Library a lasting legacy, for which she will always be remembered.

Supporter Spotlight

CAROL REEVES PARKE | PLANNED GIVING: THE 1889 SOCIETY

Why is Pequot Library important to you?

I grew up at 155 Westway Road in Southport, literally a half block from the library, and remember being allowed to cross the streets when I was maybe 7. It was during the war, when so very many fewer cars were on the roads. I was an early reader!

Miss Wherry was the librarian, the front desk seemed very high to me, and the picture books I loved were on one of those wonderful, spinning racks, maybe as tall as I was. The books were shelved on all four sides, and it was right at the end of the main desk. I vaguely remember walking with my mother to the library, but I remember more clearly a day I was there by myself, just a little older. Miss Wherry came from behind the desk, reached out her hand, and said something like, “Carol, I think you are ready for the other books.” She led me toward the back and found me … a chapter book! Never did I feel so important, so thrilled!

Miss Wherry also had a magical pencil. In one smooth set of motions she would flip it on its head, tap it on the ink pad, and stamp the date on the card at the back of the book—right in the little printed rectangle just big enough to receive it!

My visits to the library, my biking all around town through those war years, and my eight years at Pequot School gave me a remarkable sense of agency, and of independence at a very young age. I loved picking out my own books unencumbered by advice. I loved the weight of them, stacked in my hands. I loved the sheer anticipation as I walked the short distance home. And reading them, of course, opened my eyes to terrific new worlds. I confess to feeling a little smug later when our class trooped down Center Street from Pequot School to the library to be introduced to its resources. Despite the war, it was a safe and happy childhood.

Why did you choose to include Pequot Library in your will?

A great many years later, living on Manhattan’s West Side, married, and raising two very small kids, I needed to think about a career. A cousin whose husband was working on a Ph.D. at Columbia said she’d just applied to its library school. Bingo! Something in my brain clicked! Within a few weeks I’d taken the GRE, applied to Columbia, was accepted, and was off and running as a student. Attending part-time, I finished in two years. From there, a career at the New York Public Library (where I learned I didn’t have the patience to be a children’s librarian but became interested in the reference department); the Yale University Library as a reference librarian, then head of its Government Documents section; and finally, as an Associate University Librarian at Syracuse, retiring in 2001.

I’m dismayed by the current lurch toward populism locally and nationally, have always believed in the value of education—especially the self-education of adults—and am trying to do my part in other ways to be an influence for good in relation to providing and assessing the widest possible range of resources. My (very fortuitous) years with government publications reinforced my belief in the value of critical thinking, and the need for all sorts of real information being evaluated, organized, held together, and made available to those who want or need it. This is a critical need at this danger point in our country’s history.

What do you hope the lasting impression of your gift will be?

My eventual small gift to the Pequot Library endowment funds will work in concert with other small gifts to very good effect. While newer, younger library staff do the practical and intellectual work required, those funds will always be chugging away, in their modest support role, to keep the library going.

If you have provided for Pequot Library in your estate plans and should be added to the 1889 Society, please contact Grace Calderon at calderon@pequotlibrary.org or (203) 259-0346 ext. 125.

Supporter Spotlight

MARGEE ZELLERS HONORING JACK ZELLERS | TRIBUTE GIFTS

Margee Zellers, a longtime supporter of Pequot Library, makes her annual donation each year in memory of her father, Jack Zellers. Margee writes about what this means to her below. We are grateful to Margee and others who give in honor or memory of friends and family members.

As he navigated through a life planted in New England, New York, and, for his final 50-plus years, Fairfield/Southport, my dad touched the lives of many people covering a wide range of ages and circumstances.

Although family and lifelong friends came first, his commitment to the community helped make good things happen. He was involved with the Sasquanaug Association, the creation of the Southport Conservancy (to save the Pequot School building), the Wakeman Boys & Girls Club, Pequot Yacht Club, Trinity Church, Dartmouth College (his alma mater), and several Bridgeport-based community projects.

But Pequot Library was number one on his list of volunteer activities, as published in the December 1977 Dartmouth Alumni Magazine. As a board member and president of the library in the mid-1970s, he was deeply involved with the building’s addition and with the development of the Book Sale. Because the library was such an important part of his life, it has become, for me, a lasting symbol of his caring and devotion to his family, friends, and community.

HARRISON GORDON | SPECIAL DONATION

Harrison Gordon was the winner of the 22 Under 22 Art Show in 2019. He had a solo exhibition at Pequot Library and sold many of his photographs. In December 2022, Pequot Library received an unexpected donation from Harrison in an odd amount over $1,000. Below is that story.

Hi, I’m Harrison, an award-winning photographer and student at Tufts School of Engineering. I love the art of portraiture, the adventure of landscapes, and the excitement of aerial views. My work has been recognized across Fairfield County including by the Westport Library, Fairfield Town Planner, Greenfield Hill Magazine, and as a personal gallery at Bistro du Soleil and Pequot Library. I strive to use my creativity to produce stunning photographs of places and people, and I’m always looking to expand my presence as an artist and business in the community. I have been delving into the art of photography for the last eight years, and it has since turned into a passion of mine.

Why I donated:

In 2019 I entered one of my works into the 22 Under 22 Art Show. At first I earned second place—and was very excited about that—but it turned out there was an error and I had actually finished first! The prize for this accomplishment was a personal art show. The show was delayed until summer 2021 because of COVID, but that ended up being perfect timing—right before I headed off to college and at a pinnacle of my photographic journey. I sold many pieces in the show and made great new connections that continue to help me grow my business today. In 2022 I decided that the value I had gotten from the library far exceeded the monetary payout from my sales, and that the library and the community it serves would benefit much better from it. In this way, I returned the exact amount that they gave to me at the conclusion of my show as a way to give back after I was impacted so positively.

What do you love about Pequot Library?

I love the fact that we have a beautiful harbor village with a historic centerpiece that caters to the community day in and day out. There are many neighborhoods that forget about this “third place,” and it is so valuable in terms of educating, connecting, and inspiring. And it is so multi-use: With wonderful grounds, fascinating period-defining architecture, a plethora of programs for people of all stages of life, and events that bring people together, there is no place quite like Pequot Library.

Why was it important to you to support the library in this way?

Our society these days places so much emphasis on the self, but it is important to remember that great towns were built on strong community. Because I know Pequot Library is a significant driver of community building, historic preservation, and the creation of a place for anyone to enjoy, I felt it was only right to return the favor and “pass it forward.”

Supporter Spotlight

ELIZA AND JAKE CHANG | MONTHLY SUSTAINING DONORS

We moved to Southport in 2020, shortly after our son Paddy was born. For Eliza it was a homecoming, having grown up here. Since then our family has grown to include our daughter, Cece—born this past May—and our dog, Moo. We love this community and try to play an active role by supporting its most important pillars, like Pequot Library.

What do you love about Pequot Library?

To us, Pequot Library is so much more than a library. It’s our home away from home. For our children, it’s a playroom, a backyard, and a “happy place.” For our family, it’s a place to connect with friends and neighbors, explore our interests, and expand our horizons. At Pequot Library, we’ve read, volunteered, socialized, studied, celebrated, worked, and so much more. In our minds, there’s no other place in town that offers all of this across every stage of life. There’s nowhere else quite like it.

Why do you feel like supporting Pequot Library is important?

We’ve always felt that Pequot Library is the true community center of Southport. Our lives—just like so many others in town—intersect with the library in myriad ways. From big milestones like a first job (Eliza in the Rare Book Room) to annual traditions like marching in the 4th of July Parade to everyday occurrences like picnic lunches on the front lawn. All of these imprints on our family are made possible by Pequot Library. We donate so that the library can continue to make its indelible imprint not only on our family, but on our community as a whole.

Why is a monthly recurring donation the best option for you?

We choose to donate monthly because it’s plug-and-play with impact. It allows us to reach a collective annual financial contribution that we feel is meaningful, but in an attainable, automated way each month.

LIZ AND JUSTIN BECHTOLD | YOUNG PATRONS GROUP

Liz and her husband Justin were raised in Southport and now reside here with their two children. Liz was a high school English teacher for nine years before leaving to raise her kids and open her own company, Nourish CT. She serves on the boards of Trinity Parish Nursery School and Near & Far Aid. Her family loves to travel, spend time outside, and, of course, frequent Pequot Library.

What do you love about Pequot Library?

I love how visiting Pequot feels like stepping back in time. In this ever-changing, fast-paced world, visiting Pequot Library forces my family to slow down and re-engage with people and literature. There’s nothing better than watching your child grinning ear-to-ear, biking down Center Street and running onto the Great Lawn to play the same games you did as a kid at the annual 4th of July Bike Parade. Or watching your child who just learned how to read, sit down and read a book to Coco the “Libunny.” It’s pure and simple joy.

Why did you become a Young Patron?

The library’s motto is “Free as Air to All,” and it really lives by this phrase. The library provides so much for our community and is such a staple in this town, yet it doesn’t ask for anything in return. I became a Young Patron because I felt the need to support Pequot Library since it’s given me and my family many gifts. One of my favorite memories as a new mom was taking my kids to Miss Jane’s Babes on a Blanket. I met many lifelong friends at these classes. We love attending Derby Day, Southport Garden Stroll, and the Summer Book Sale. Pequot Library is an integral part of our community, and we must support it accordingly.

What impact do you think a thriving Young Patrons Group could have on the future of Pequot Library?

People want to feel connected to their communities and believe they play a role in shaping and supporting them. Despite raising children, building careers, and running households, I find that many young people still want to give back to places that matter to them. Building a strong Young Patrons Group will ensure that Pequot Library is not only financially supported, but that people are involved and engaged with the library. Even if you don’t have a lot to give monetarily, attending an event and bringing a friend, donating your time to help run a fundraiser, or spreading the word about this incredible place and the important work it is doing goes a long way in supporting Pequot Library. I see the Young Patrons Group as a way to engage the community and keep families coming to Pequot for years to come.

Special Collections and Exhibitions

The Lure of the Garden: The Enduring Desire to Work and Shape the Land opened in June 2022, drawing on the original collection of rare books acquired by the founders and the more recent bequests of our generous donors including George Brett, Pepperidge Farm founder Margaret Rudkin, and historian C.S. Bradley. Archival materials from local garden clubs and the National War Garden Commission rounded out the exhibition.

Alphabets, Bedtime Stories, and Cautionary Tales: Children’s Books and the Shaping of American Identity opened in February 2023 with support from a CT Humanities Quick Grant. The exhibition was accompanied by strong programming from scholars, curators, and directors hailing from cultural organizations throughout New England, including the American Antiquarian Society and Congregational Library and Archives in Massachusetts. Feedback and school visits surpassed our expectations to such a degree that we will be drawing upon this exhibition to create a semi-permanent display opening spring 2024.

The Book Beautiful: Selections from the Private Press Movement opened in May 2023 and highlighted the Special Collections’ works by the Kelmscott Press and Golden Cockerel Press, as well as archival material from the Hampshire House Workshops and St. Dominic’s Press that helped contextualize the publications.

In addition to these exhibitions in Pequot Library’s Perkin Gallery, the Special Collections loaned a rare book on chocolate, tea, and coffee— published in France in 1687—to the Westport Museum for History and Culture for their current exhibition on chocolate, Bittersweet: Chocolate in the American Colonies.

A January 2022 preservation assessment report from the Northeast Documentation Conservation Center (NEDCC) continues to guide our work in stewarding the collections. In January 2023, we invited the

author of the report, conservator Bexx Caswell-Olson, to return to Pequot Library to assess our progress, which includes new shelving in the Dillon Storage Room, new flat files for works on paper, and a new HEPA vacuum. NEDCC also supported Pequot Library in its application for a Preservation Assistance Grant for Smaller Institutions, which we submitted in January 2023. We learned in September that we were awarded $10,000, which will help us purchase additional preservation supplies including a climate monitoring system and light meter.

Special Collections and Exhibitions

Two items from the collections received conservation treatment from NEDCC in FY23: Shakespeare’s 1623 First Folio (partial) and 1664 Third Folio. These works are among the most valuable in the Special Collections, and the treatment they received, including repair to their bindings, allows them to be safely displayed in our fall 2023 exhibition, How William Became Shakespeare: 400 Years of the First Folio.

In FY23 Cecily Dyer, Special Collections Librarian, spent two weeks in Windsor, Connecticut, making significant progress in understanding and assessing the collections at our offsite storage facility, William B. Meyer. Of nearly 1,000 trays of material she viewed, more than 100 were found to be 20th- and 21st-century periodicals that were never classified as Special Collections and did not warrant continued maintenance. As a result of weeding these materials, we have seen significant savings in our ongoing storage costs. Cecily also discovered items that warranted being brought back to Southport, including sloop logs, a manuscript cookbook, and a 17th-century French missal with gauffered edges (below middle).

The Special Collections hosted 12 independent research visits in FY23, fielded 26 reference inquiries, and hosted two Fairfield University classes for exhibition tours. In October 2022 Cecily also hosted a class from Greens Farms Academy, “Advanced Inquiry: Research in History,” whose students analyzed primary sources in the Dillon Reading Room.

Princess McCann, Special Collections Assistant, made significant contributions to the management of the collections, including inventorying collections in the Dillon Reading Room and deaccessioning volumes from the catalog following approval by the Special Collections Committee. She also brought visibility to the collections through social media and blog posts.

Cecily and Princess were engaged with the professional community in FY23. Cecily attended two events hosted by the “Connecticut Archivists and Special Collections Librarians,” and hosted that group at Pequot Library on November 10. Cecily also attended the Connecticut League of History Organization’s (CLHO’s) annual conference at CCSU, NEDCC’s “Digital Directions’’ conference (virtual), the Teaching with Primary Sources TPS Fest 2023 (virtual), and the Archival Educators’ Roundtable (virtual). Princess also attended TPS Fest 2023, as well as a Rare Book School course, “Why Black Bibliography Matters,” at Princeton University.

SPECIAL COLLECTIONS & FINE ART EXHIBITIONS

Fairfield Public Schools Art Show

AP Art Show: On view May 10 – June 7

K-12 Art: On view May 20–31

The Lure of the Garden: The Enduring Desire to Work and Shape the Land

June 23, 2022 - February 5, 2023

Alphabets, Bedtime Stories, and Cautionary Tales: Children’s Books and the Shaping of American Identity

February 18 – May 6, 2023

The Book Beautiful: Selections from the Private Press Movement

June 22 – September 23, 2023

VOLUNTEER DOCENTS

Anne Boberski

Lynne Laukhuf

Lynn Van Winkle

Richard “Deej” Webb

Circulating Collection & Books in Review

In the 2022-2023 fiscal year, we sought to grow our collection of large print and non-English titles. Additionally, we began to acquire more audiobooks on playaways, instead of audiobooks on CD, as playaways enable listening without the need of a CD player or, as in the case of downloadable audiobooks, internet; all a listener needs for a playaway is a set of headphones. We were also able to expand our contribution of ebooks to the Fairfield town-wide system thanks to a generous donation from the Tremaine Foundation.

The following is a selection of adult titles from the 2022-2023 fiscal year from Pequot Library’s Chief Librarian Christine Catallo, including some books featured in library programming.

The Magnolia Palace

Fiona Davis

We were honored to welcome Fiona Davis for Pequot Library’s first Literary Luncheon, where she discussed her novel centered on the Frick Museum and the family responsible for it.

Pineapple Street

Jenny Jackson

This sharp, funny novel follows the fabulously wealthy Stockton family and all their foibles on and around Pineapple Street in Brooklyn. Fun fact: Pequot Library’s founder, Virginia Marquand Monroe, grew up on Pineapple Street!

Adult Programs

Emily Wilde’s Encyclopaedia of Faeries

Heather Fawcett

In this heartwarming fantasy novel, the first in a series, Emily Wilde is a curmudgeonly professor who journeys north to study faerie folklore, finding dark magic, friendship, and love.

The library’s programs are united under the core values and commitments of our founders: heritage, literature, community, and music. In September, the filmmakers and producers of the PBS documentary Ghost Mountain: The Second Killing Fields of Cambodia led a well-attended screening and Q&A with the audience exploring the harrowing journey and experiences of a quarter million Cambodian refugees who fled the oppression of the Khmer Rouge. Later in the fall, Shoran Piper, the Clan Mother of the Golden Hill Paugussett Tribe, engaged audience members, detailing the origins of the early agricultural practices of Fairfield County’s indigenous peoples. In October Pequot Library co-hosted the Southport Globe Onion Festival,

Southern Inspired Jernard A. Wells

Jernard Wells is a celebrity chef who gave a virtual author talk to our community through the Library Speakers Consortium. Wells’ cookbook remixes classic Southern flavors and celebrates African-American culinary contributions.

Everyone in My Family Has Killed Someone

Benjamin Stevenson

This gripping mystery set at a ski chalet follows an unforgettable cast of characters as they grapple with multiple murders, family scandals, and numerous nods to classic mystery tropes.

attracting visitors from all over Fairfield to learn more about Southport’s favorite allium and its history, with authentic Southport Globe onions to take home. Music was provided by Fairfield’s Lackluster Brother.

Further emphasizing the library’s commitment to sustainability and local farming, Pequot Library coordinated a “sowing bee” with Pollinator Pathway, working with participants to design and implement their very own greenhouses. Local mental health professionals gathered in the winter to bring attention to how grief impacts different individuals at varying stages of life. This was an open conversation with clinicians and experts representing Silver Hill Hospital, the Child Guidance

Adult Programs

Center of Mid-Fairfield, and faith-based institutions such as Trinity Spiritual Center. March included the Lights Out panel discussion about bird migration and light pollution, well attended by local environmentalists, activists, and inspired community members and led by experts from Yale University, Lights Out Connecticut, the International Dark Skies Association, and Connecticut Audubon. To complement this work, the library hosted “Earth Day at Pequot Library,” a sound jam with Yale University scholars that illustrated, through various senses, how nature communicates with us all.

Highlighting the fall’s The Lure of the Garden: The Enduring Desire to Work and Shape the Land exhibition, curator and Special Collections Librarian Cecily Dyer hosted popular Out of the Vault events to further contextualize documents and artifacts connected to the exhibition.

In conjunction with the winter exhibition, Alphabets, Bedtime Stories, and Cautionary Tales: Children’s Books and the Shaping of American Identity, Joan DiMartino, Museum Curator and Site Superintendent of the Prudence Crandall Museum, presented a talk about boundarybreaking educator and abolitionist Prudence Crandall, who opened the first integrated school in the United States in Canterbury, Connecticut in the 1830s.

Later in the month attendees enjoyed an evening of discussion and learning with Joshua Kendall, author of The Forgotten Founding Father: Noah Webster’s Obsession and the Creation of an American Culture, and Jennifer DiCola Matos, former executive director of the Noah Webster House and West Hartford Historical Society. Kendall and Matos detailed the impact Webster had on the development of a distinct American educational system. To highlight the architectural significance of Pequot Library’s 1894 building, historian and Merritt Parkway Conservancy Executive Director Wes Haynes provided an enlightening presentation, celebrating the Library’s 134th anniversary. In March, Boston’s Congressional Library and Archives Executive Director, Kyle Roberts and Laura Wasowicz longtime Curator of Children’s Literature with the American Antiquarian Society in Worcester, presented a discussion on the influence and impact of The New-England Primer The New-England Primer brought secular

content to the children of New England, ushering in a new era of learning. To further complement Alphabets, Bedtime Stories, and Cautionary Tales: Children’s Stories and the Shaping of American Identity, Professor Bryan Crandall and educators from the Norwalk Public School system explored the present state of youth literature in a panel discussion. During the spring and summer, local historian and educator Eric Chandler led four seminar-style discussions on the role of Connecticut in the Revolutionary War, and in June, the library hosted its first Bloomsday Celebration. This event, bolstered by our copy of the first edition of James Joyce’s Ulysses, witnessed Fordham University Professor and Director of the Institute of Irish Studies Keri Walsh in conversation with noted artist and playwright Brian Whelan. Summer saw the Book Beautiful: Selections from the Private Press Movement exhibition and, with it, two dynamic and robust programs: “The Resilience of Traditional Book and Letter Arts” with printers Jerry Kelly and Jesse Marsolais and “William Morris: His Textiles and Designs” with Yale University art historian and vice president of the William Morris Society Sarah Leonard.

Throughout FY23 the library presented numerous author events and music performances, in addition to tours of our historic building and Southport Village. We are grateful for the support from all our authors, including Adrienne Miller, Lian Dolan, Timothy Cole, Lauren Willig, Heather Webb, Sarah Penner, William Martin, and Jeff Matthews.

MUSIC at PEQUOT LIBRARY

Pequot Library hosted local bands on the front steps for Make Music Fairfield in June. For this event, bands were each given an hour time slot to fill, much to the excitement of audience members. This summer also saw the launch of the library’s annual Under the Arches: Chamber Music Series. Some of the nation’s best and brightest classical musicians filled the Great Lawn with sound. Hundreds turned out for what proved to be a resounding success. The series featured the Grammy-nominated Horszowski Trio, as well as musicians from Orchestra Lumos, Norwalk Symphony, and Greenwich Symphony. As always, Pequot Library hosted sold-out tours of its historic building each month throughout FY23, as well as tours of picturesque Southport Village.

Children’s Library

CHILDREN’S LIBRARY

Read Beyond the Beaten Path was the theme of our 2022 Summer Reading Challenge with its focus on exploring the natural world. Programs such as stories and hiking at Southport Park and recommended books encouraged learning more about the beauty of the outdoors.

Over 800 people returned to celebrate the annual 4th of July Bike Parade! Children decorated their bikes, scooters, or wagons and gathered at the Five Corners in Southport Village to parade to the Great Lawn—led by former Board President Bill Russell—for games, face painting, tattoos, crafts, and, of course, the Super Duper Weenie truck!

Gilbert the Party Pig made an appearance at the 2022 Pequot Library Summer Book Sale. Children participated in a Princess and Pirate Costume Contest, and all participants left with a free book. Scotty Kazan returned with his eyepopping bubble show on the Great Lawn.

In September we welcomed our new bunny Coco from the Johnson family, neighbors of the library. Patrons of all ages love to visit her, and children have produced a lot of coloring sheets of bunnies in her honor. Coco is our Reading Ambassador Rabbit, and children are encouraged to make an appointment to read to her.

Ongoing programs for children continued in the fall, including Drop-In Storytime, Music and Movement for Wigglers, Crafty Kids, Babes on a Blanket, and Early Readers Book Club, along with a number of storytime visits at Southport

Congregational and Trinity preschools.

October saw the Choose Your Own Adventure StoryWalk installed in the library. Participants read the beginning of Terror on the Titanic and were directed to various locations throughout the building, choice by choice, until arriving at their story path’s ending.

Chess for Kids started in October as well. Children who were new to the game learned to play chess in the Wright Classroom. That program evolved into Chess Club, where children who know how to play chess compete for ranked positions on our “chess ladder.”

With a telescope generously donated by the Westport Astronomical Society, Pequot Library hosted Great Lawn Astronomy. Children, families, and teens were treated to views of the moon, Jupiter and its moons, Saturn, and many other celestial objects throughout the fall and winter months—some for the first time ever!

Pequot Library’s signature winter event, the Holiday Caroling Party, was full of festive cheer: crafts, choirs, treats, horse-drawn carriage rides, cocoa with Coco the bunny, surprise visitors from the North Pole, and more.

In partnership with the CT Love Army, Pequot Library held its most successful coat drive to date. A record-breaking amount of winter apparel was collected in decorated boxes crafted by neighbor Zoe Laferriere.

There was no better way to warm up in January than with a perennial movie favorite, Frozen,

featuring cast members from Westport’s Bedford Middle School’s Frozen Jr. musical starting the evening with a few songs, followed by an impromptu dance party.

In February, children learned about World War I-era victory gardens from our Lure of the Garden exhibition and then practiced pickling. Magician and funny storyteller Ed Popielarczyk performed a magical Valentine’s Day show before a large and enthusiastic crowd.

Coco the bunny officially became Pequot Library’s Reading Ambassador Rabbit on Take Your Child to the Library Day. Children were invited to register for 15-minute appointments to read books to Coco in the study room, and all 16 slots were filled.

The Lenihan School of Irish Dance troupe returned for a St. Patrick’s Day tradition. The dancers gave a costumed performance and then taught audience members the basic kicks and steps to dance along.

In conjunction with our exhibition Alphabets, Bedtime Stories and Cautionary Tales: Children’s Books and the Shaping of American Identity, we held the Take Heed! Writing Contest in which participants wrote their own cautionary tales, displayed in the May Room.

Children participated in a Make Your Own Who Would Win? book program in March as a prelude to Jerry Pallotta’s Meet the Author Jr. visit to Pequot Library. Some of the children asked Pallotta to sign their creations at his

Teen Programs & K-12 School Programs

April visit, which filled the auditorium with Who Would Win? fans.

With a grateful assist from the National Charity League, the 2023 Easter Egg Roll was a great success. Hundreds of participants brought their own hard-boiled eggs for decorating and then played games on the Great Lawn. A Teen Advisory Board member brought the Easter Bunny to life for a photo opportunity.

The Apprentice Company of Shakespeare on the Sound led a 30-minute, interactive performance of As You Like It for families. Two weeks later Pequot Library patrons had reserved seating for the full production in Rowayton.

The summer program theme for 2023—“Find Your Voice”—kicked off in June with attendee cards for children and teens to earn stamps by participating in summer events and activities.

TEEN PROGRAMS

Teen programming kicked off in the fall with a pizza party for members of Pequot Library’s Secret Service to preview the Terror on the Titanic Choose Your Own Adventure Storywalk. Teens were surveyed about what programming they enjoy, revealing that many teens volunteer at the library because their parents make them, but they are happy to do it as long as there is pizza. There were requests for a Dungeons & Dragons program and volunteer opportunities that would look good on college applications. After this event, the Secret Service was retired and replaced by the Teen Advisory Board,

which meets monthly to discuss and evaluate teen services from a teen perspective. It is a valuable resource that informs programming and collection development decisions.

Dungeons & Dragons: Dice and a Slice launched in the spring, combining two of the main requests by teens—D&D and pizza. The program was so popular that another session (without pizza) was added in the summer.

In continued partnership with Music for Youth, Friday Night Young Artists Café met monthly during the school year. Youth and teen singers, percussionists, pianists, string and woodwind players, guitarists, poets, and storytellers performed for each other and their families in Pequot Library’s historic auditorium.

K-12 SCHOOL PROGRAMS

Third-graders from Columbus Elementary School in Bridgeport visited Pequot Library in October for a tour of the Lure of the Garden exhibition. They also participated in an art project based on the Mayan codex that was on display, toured Pequot Library’s historic building, and met with Coco.

A group of students from the Cardinal Shehan Center visited Pequot Library over Christmas break to tour the Lure of the Garden exhibition and the historic building, and to learn about Pequot Library’s history. After hearing the story of how Virginia Marquand Monroe used a portion of her inheritance to build the library, they worked on a writing project that

asked them what they would do for their own communities if they were to inherit a fortune.

The spring exhibition, Alphabets, Bedtime Stories, and Cautionary Tales: Children’s Books and the Shaping of American Identity, aligned very well with Connecticut’s Core Standards for social studies and brought in 262 students from six different Bridgeport Public Schools and one group of 15 homeschoolers. Students examined the materials on display in the Perkin Gallery in docent-led tours, took a trip in a “time machine” in the May Room (where they tried reading reproductions of one of the books on display by LED candle light), and participated in a printmaking workshop in the auditorium using techniques similar to the ones used to create the illustrations for the historical books on display in the exhibition.

In the spring, Pequot Library hosted Bridgeport Public Schools Debate League for several of their themed debates in our auditorium. Tackling issues related to Native American Heritage Month, Women’s History Month, and Constitutional Law, high school and middle school teams competed against each other in lively debates that were open to members of the public.

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Jennifer and Chris Bargas

Lisa Barrieau

Jen Bartlett

Regina Berardino

Doc and Sandra W. Bisset, Esq.

Abigail Blades

Ronald Blumenfeld and Selina Strong

Anne and David Boberski

Ms. Carrie Bocian

Bill Bodine and Victoria Fingelly

Eileen and Jim Bohan

Lisa and Ted Borter

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Barbara Burian

Don and Tish Burton

Marco and Elena Caggiano

Donna and James Cahill

Gerardo and Grace Calderon

Gerard and Susan Callahan

Madge Canning

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Eileen and Matthew Carty

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Nina Chanana

Eliza and Jake Chang

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Virginia and George Cohen

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Meri-Leigh and Francesco Daniele

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Tierney and Alex Ehrhart

Dr. Philip and Yael Eliasoph

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Joel and Arline Epstein

Amanda Essex

George Estabrooke

Amanda Fahimi

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Celeste Falcone

Kimberly and Brian Farnen

Ali Fellowes

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Dr. and Mrs. Jon M. Fessel

Jan Fisher

Margery and Leonard E. Fisher

Cynthia and John Fitzgerald

John Florio and Sharon Sweeney

Anita Flynn

Marie Francescani

Becky Francis

Joe and Roberta Gagne

Sally Galan

Steve Galpin Jr.

Michael Garda

The Garrison Family

Caroline Garrity

Bruce Glaser

Catherine and Philip Glennon

Jeffrey and Nancy Goldstein

Roger Goodspeed

Benjamin Gott

Eben W. Graves

James and Kitty Graves

Erica Green

Orin Grossman and Jane Sutherland

Cathy Lee Gruhn

Mary E. Halloran and James Rulmyr

Ms. Leah Hansen

Courtenay Hardy

Amy Harlacker

James and Barbara Harman

William Harrison and Elise Schepeler

Alexis Harrison

Beth and Jonathan Hayes

Beth Hebert

Philip and Rochelle Herr

Michelle Hubbard

Anne R. Jackson

Mary Jaensch

Shirley Jenks

Jacqueline and Rodney Jenks Jr.

Louisa J. Jones

Pamela C. Jones Esq.

Marla and Brian Joyce

Alejandra and Stuart Kagel

Lisa Hamm Kammert

Victoria Kann

Tracy and Paul Keblish

Luette Keegan

Jane Keller

Edna Kobialka

Victoria Konopka

Mary Korchinski

Mary Jean and Preston Koster

Robert and Bonnie Kreitler

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Carol Lacoss

Alice Lamberson

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Joyce and Mark Laponte

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Kerry Lee

Urb and Pat Leimkuhler

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John and Jean Lepore

Mary Alice Limperopulos

Karen Dill Linder

Dorothy Lindsey

Madeleine Livingston

John Lobrano

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Alessandra and Mark Lovett

John and Ellen Lynch

Jane MacDonald

Emily Macina

Christine Maffia

Jessica Mainiero

William L. Malmstedt

Lauren Malo

Erica Mann and Harold Zawadski

Jane Manners

Holland Marcovich

Barbara and Alan Marks

Kimberly Marshall

Trish Marsilio

Todd and Denise Martin

Elizabeth Matthews and Brennan

McDonough

John May

Tulis McCall

Mark McDaniel

Jessica and Justin McEntee

Alison McGovern

Charles McMahon and Katherine

Epifanio

Tina McNulty

Ms. Debra Menich

Catherine Mennenga

Larry and Sheila Merriam

Donald Milkavich

Betsy and Dick Miller

Gabrielle Miller

Ruth Miller

Mr. and Mrs. Howard M. Mirsky

Mary Misevich

Susan Moran

Jennifer and Jason Morgan

Natalia Moskvitina

Philip and Terry Murphy

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Joni and Mark Nordstrom

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Jack Nyquist

Marcia O’Connell

Maureen O’Brien

Richard and Elizabeth Oderwald

Keri and Ted O’Neill

Kathleen O’Sullivan

Michelle and Sean Otto

Carol Reeves Parke

Melanie Parsons

Maxine Paul

Ashley and Richard Perkin

Betsy Perkin

Rob Perkin

Betsy and Dave Perry

Lynn Plant

Anne and Richard Pol

Lori Popkowski

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Meredith Poster

Gary W. Potmesil

Elisabeth and Andrew Priest

Ched and Judy Proctor

Trisha Pytko

Patricia Randolph

Michelle and Anthony Rao

Janet and David Reed

Jeanne and Joseph Reed

Marilyn Rice

Susan Rippey

Barbara Robbins

Sandra Rosenberg

Dalia and Reuven Rudich

Pamela Rugg

Amy Ruggiero

Ned and Teresa Russell

Tim and Bobbie Sue Russell

Mary Santilli

Missy Savard and Ronald Wilklow

Michael and Kassandra Savicki

Wendy and Dominick Savino

Carol and Sherman Schaefer

Lisa Schmucki

Paul Schreiner and Ariane Mermod

Sharon Schweitzer and David R. Levett

Elizabeth Schwinn

Stephen W. Sears

Kathy Serocki

Susan K. Settino

Noreen P. Sewell

Cynthia and Tim Shanley

Danielle and William Sharp

Ann W. Shaw

Joy Shaw

Mr. and Mrs. Richard L. Siderowf

Ewa and James Sidwa

Claudia and Kevin Silk

Mr. and Mrs. Hugh R. Smith

Melanie Smith

Patsy Smyth

Laurie Sorensen

Dr. and Mrs. Robert Stanton

Ms. Elizabeth Stillinger

Diane Stocker

Mike Stoddard

Rev. Cecily Stoddard Stranahan

E. James and Kathryn Streator

Tracy and Timothy Stuart

David K. Sturges

Patricia Sullivan

Peter Tallman

Keara and Anthony Tanella

Beth Tarde

Sally Tepas

Ms. Mary Tetro

Kathleen Patricia Thrane

Richard Tomasovic

Niki Tremaine

Barbara B. Valk

Hobart Van Deusen

Holly Van Deusen

Terry Vantobel and Susan B. Durkee

Neeta Vencak

Rob and Melanie Verrengia

Kathleen Vogel

Will and Maybette Waldron

Rob and Lindsay Wallace

Mr. Robert A. Webber and Ms. Mary

Filippelli-Weber

Harriet Weiss

Sylvia and Robert Weiss

Terry Wettergreen

Courtney White and Keric Kenny

Laura and Packer Wilbur

Vanessa Willett

Kendra and Bob Williamson

Anne and Terry Willie

Kaitlyn Winterbottom

Rosalie Wolf

Dennis and Barbara Wong

Melissa Young

INDIVIDUAL ($50 - $99)

Anonymous

Nancy Anderson

Kate Aryne

Mr. and Mrs. William B. Auer

Frances S. Baldwin

Misty Beyer

Peter Blank

Barrett Bollinger

Siobhan and James Borger

Marybeth Buckley

Ginette Budd

Shannon Burch

Marta S. Campbell

John and Sharyn Cannon

Vanessa and Jason Caporrino

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Lisa Clair

Barbara Clark

Clare Clark

Melissa and Michael Clear

April Clyne

Jay Cohen

Suzanne Cohen

Susan Collins

Mark and Julie Connelly

Elizabeth and Christopher Cross

Zoltan Csillag

Cynthia and Paul Cummiskey

Mary Daytz

Trent DeBerry

Beth Delaney

Stephanie Delara

Betty Dixon

Maggie Dobbins

Robert and Fran Dubicki

Cortny Dunleavy

Martha Durham

Chris Eaton

Terri Ednie

Julie Ernst

Layne Evans

Susan and Peter Evensen

Lee Ann Fallet

Jim Fast and Barbara Young

Nina Fattahi

Arlene and William Field

Nancy Fisher

Jessica Fokides

Christine Freeman

Patricia Gardner

Robert Gaunt

Elizabeth M. Gaynor

Lori Gazerro

Asha Gehani

Kelly Georgia

Susan Gilligan

Charlotte Glovin

Christopher E. Goebel

Peter A. Gold

Adam and Rona Goodman

Allison Gray

Laura Egan Grayson

Julia Green

Amy Gross

Irmgard and Alfred Gwilliam

Nancy Haberly

Michael and Johanne Hagan

Diane and Matt Hagerty

Robert and Rita Hannafin

Aarah Hecht

Adair and Arne Heitmann

Maive Howard

Mr. and Mrs. William N. Hubbard III

Ellen and Kyle Hublitz

David Hughes and Pamela Browne

Donna Hughes

Lisa Hughes

Laura Incerto

Francine Jacques

Mary Kallmann

Rita Kearney

Sarah and Stephen Keenan

Corinne Keller

Jill Kelly

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Jo Ann Koebbe

Debra and Alex Krayson

Bern LaBelle

Ellen Landowne

Catherine Leary

Meghan Lenihan

Wenjun Liu

Brittany Lobdell

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Bridget Lyons

Michaela MacColl

Courtney MacDonald

Leslie and Sunil Mahtani

Holly Malaspinas

Julie and Brendon Manwaring

Bonnie Marks

Jo-Ann Marron

Caroline Marshall

Sandi Martin

Paul R. Mathewson

Dana and Mike McCreesh

Kelly McGovern

Hayden McKay

Margaret McMann

Alex McNab and Diane Melish

Thomas and Robin McPhillips

Roxanne and Jason Melaragno

Nicole Metchick

Irene and Dean Miltimore

Nancy Mis

Fred Mitchell

Butzi Moffitt

Maggie Moffitt

Michael Mombello and Julia Pierson

Chris and Jeanine Monteiro

Meredith Mueller

Kenneth and Ginabeth Murphy

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Caroline and Patrick Naspo

Pat Neisser

Jodie Nevas

Grazia Ochoa

Helen Ong

Deb and Jeff Owens

Cheryl Patterson

Laura Pelco

Patricia and Joseph Peters

Laraine Petersen

Frank Petise

Kay Phelan

Saba and Michael Pina

Danielle and David Pitts

Elaine Poeltl

Tracy Porosoff

Jay and Eleanor Powell

Victoria Powers

Elizabeth Poyet

Ted Pratt*

Sonal Rajan

Linda Reddy

Deborah Reynolds

Judith and Howard Reynolds

Barrett and Lauren Risley

Vivian Rosenberg

Marie Rossi

Liz Rueven

Sharon Sanford

Virginia V. Sanford

John Savard

Stephanie and Adam Schechter

Karen Schur

Kelley and Drew Schutte

Joan Shapiro

Amey Simonds

Wendy Slagter

Marcie and David Slepian

Ford Smith

Mr. and Mrs. Richard Solazzo

Kelly Solway

Linnea Stenberg

Denise Stone

Patricia Strasburger

Scott and Chris Supernaw

Teresa Sutton

Carol and Mike Sweeney

Kate Sweeney

Sarah Sweeney

Catherine Sych

Lynne Taikowski

Jill Talladay

Rachael Texeira

Gay Tice

Jennifer and Blake Titrud

Lisa Tobias

Priscilla Twombly

Judy and Alex Urquhart

Karen Vangel

Mike and Judy Virr

Heather Visconti

Mary H. von Conta

Danielle and Charles Walker

Michele Wan

Charles and Barbara Wanamaker

Amy Watson

Anthony Wellman

Candace and Paul Whitman

Vonne and Chris Whittleton

Rita Wilcox

Jessica Wolf

Michael and Joanna Wynne

Laura Yamner

Sandy Zera

UNDER $50

Anonymous

Jacqueline AcriGarofalo

Joy Aginsky

CarolAnne Ances

Molly Baker

Christine Baranet

Lynda Barber

Kiley Bergin

Ana Bicalho

Jim and Phyllis Billings

Nancy Braun

Dorothea E. Brennan

Laura Busk

Joanne Carlton

Arlene Carpenter and Gerard Pampalone

Roz Carpentieri

Kate Carroll

Fatima Cavaliere

Mr. and Mrs. John Ceruzzi

Elisa Chollet

Mary Cilio

Sheila Clemente

Mr. Arnold Cohen

Mr. Timothy Cole

Lisa Connelly

Mr. Thomas Conrad

Katie Cook

Mr. and Mrs. J.S. Alastair Crawford

Mrs. Joan S. Crossman

Martha Curtis

Andrea DaRif

Girlie Delizo-Jasper

Aili diBonaventura

Laura Ely

Lilly Elzanaty

Mira Elzanaty

Cheryl Eustace

Serena Facchera

Kim Fahey

Flora Ferrara

Michael and Monika Filipek

Dorothy S. Fincher

Jody M. Foote

Tara Forrest

Elizabeth Fox

Mr. Jon Fraade

Megan Freeman

Lynn Friedman

Heidi Gaillard

Cyndianne Gates

Alan Gill, M.D.

Frances Giunta

Gretchen Goethner

Mary Gojkovich

Susan Graham

Jane Guenther

Alexandria Haechler

Rev.Nancy G. Hallas

Cindi Hamm

Anne and Paul Harris

Marie Hayes

Mary W. Haynes

Cynthia Herrington

Kim and Chris Heyn

Jennifer and David Hinkle

Elizabeth Horan

Elizabeth Hsiao

Ms. Dawn E. Hunt

Paul and Kelly Jacobson

Virginia Jaffe

Jessica Jelcic

Mary Ann Jones

John Jorge

Mr. John Kantor

Anahid Kapoian

Jennifer Keating

Maureen E. Keough and Philip R. Epifano

Jillian Klaff

Arch Knisely

Wendy Krueger

Emily and Joseph LaFemina

Sara LaJoie

Roger E. Lasky

Mr. and Mrs. Joseph W. Litterer

Eileen and Han Liu

Suzanne H. Loggie

Denise Long

Mr. Vincent Lugo

Peggy Macaluso

Maria Magalhaes

Juliet Majmudar

Mr. and Mrs. Andrew R. Malkin

Diane Manderville

Roxanne G. Martin

Mari-Eleanor Martino

Rosalie Masseria

Arthur W. McCain Jr.

Sharon McClymonds

Amanda McDevitt

Patrick McGettigan

Kristine McHarg

Karen McKenna

Whitney McNell

Lydia Menendez

Leslie Meredith

Vanessa Merritt

Victoria Mileti

Robin Miner

Mr. and Mrs. Russ Mitchell

Diane Mongiardo

Nancy Moon

Nancy Moore

Jan Morgan

Erin Morris

Kathy Mulston

Maria Freeman Mulvehill

Katy Myers

Carol and Humphrey Nichols

Laurie Norris

Deirdre Obolewicz

Lore Oricchio

Joanne O’Rourke

Stacy Orseck

Maureen Owens

Michelle Parrish

Anne B. Pfeiffer

Colleen Phelan

Pamela Dixon Petito

Susan Plant

Shelley Porter

Ellie Powers

Helen Previdi

Domonique Racanelli and Peter Kokkinos

Louise F. Rainis

Joy Rendahl

Meredith Ressi

Lindsay Rosenberg

Cynthia and Jeffrey Rubin

Kelle Ruden

Sarah Seltzer

Mara Sheehan-O’Brien

Elizabeth Sheppard

Gail Sheriff

Gretchen Shugart and Jonathan Maurer

Corin Siksay

Sharon Silver

Jeri Silverman

Craig and Suzanne Simmonds

Linda and Arnie Slifkin

Jennifer and Christopher Smith

Judy Smith

Katherine Sousa

Martha Spiegel

Jane Steiger

Sharon Strelzer

Karin Sugerman

Kate and Brendan Sullivan

Brook Tart

Susan and Scott Telesz

Jeannette Tewey

Alexandra Thompson

Jacquelyn Thunfors

Annemarie and Steve Tredennick

Brian and Cristin Vahey

Mary Valentine

Claire Van de Berghe

Joseph T. Von Ehr

Robin Wachs

Sara Wallace

Robert and Katherine Watcke

Rita and Stephen Weisskoff

Susan Wexler

Alexandra and John Whitaker

Ray and Eileen Wilhelm

Barbara Williams

Sandra Winans

Mrs. Mary K. Winkel

Kara Wong

Carly Woodard

Judith Wren

JENNIFER CROSBY CARGILL

‘LIPSTICK & PEARLS’ ART FUND

Krista Alecia

Sarah Berges

Olivia and Felix Charney

Stephanie J. Coakley and Peter Russell

Mr. and Mrs. J.S. Alastair Crawford

Virginia Crosby

Jane K. Dean

The Garrison Family

Kerry Lee

Mary and Brendan McCracken

Heather Crosby Mnuchin

Butzi Moffitt

Maggie Moffitt

Ms. Kathleen S. O’Grady and Mr. Adam Allam

LIBRARY GIVING DAY

Anonymous

Kevin and Alice Atkins

Elizabeth and Justin Bechtold

Barbara Burian

Don and Tish Burton

Gerardo and Grace Calderon

Celie Campbell

Stephanie J. Coakley and Peter Russell

Meri-Leigh and Francesco Daniele

Andrea DaRif

Bridgett and Peter diBonaventura

Sherrie and Jim Douglas

Tierney and Alex Ehrhart

Christine and Jarat Ford

C. Stephen and Meg Francis

Joe and Roberta Gagne

Meg Gruppo

Nancy Haberly

William Harrison and Elise Schepeler

Mary W. Haynes

Lucinda Heekin

Schuyler Huntoon

Megan and Sean Kelly

Victoria Konopka

Paul and Sue Kueffner

Gerry Lang

Lynne Laukhuf

The Lawlor Family

Kathryn Lohotsky

Leslie and Sunil Mahtani

Lauren Malo

Jane Manners

Holland Marcovich

Todd and Denise Martin

Mark McDaniel

Jessica and Justin McEntee

Alison McGovern

Charles McMahon and Katherine

Epifanio

Nicole Metchick

Diane Mongiardo

Katie Montgomery

Kathryn and Ryan Morrell

Madeline and Douglas Peck

Tracy Porosoff

Eugene and Leslie Riccio

Margaret and Christopher Rieck

Charlotte Rogan

Lindsay Rosenberg

Wendy and Dominick Savino

Michael and Rebecca Shea

Alexandra and John Sise

Ms. Tami Smith and Mr. Ted

Sonnenschein

Patricia Sullivan

Lynn and Peter Van Winkle

David Ward

Deb and Richard Deej Webb

Courtney White and Keric Kenny

Melody Waterhouse and Philipp Kusche

Kendra and Bob Williamson

Emily and Grant Wood

Sandy Zera

MEET THE AUTHOR

Elizabeth Bacon

Cynthia and Michael Crawford

Julia Dalton

Beth Delaney

Courtenay Hardy

Margaret Moriarty

SPECIAL COLLECTIONS

Cynthia and Michael Crawford

Joan M. and Jeremy Frost

Megan and Sean Kelly

UNDER THE ARCHES MUSIC SERIES

Anonymous

Jane K. Dean

Roberta Hodgson

Peg and Nelson North

YOUNG PATRONS GROUP

Anonymous

Elizabeth and Justin Bechtold

Gerardo and Grace Calderon

Wesley and Melissa Carpenter

Eliza and Jake Chang

Stephanie J. Coakley and Peter Russell

Tierney and Alex Ehrhart

Christine and Jarat Ford

Becky Francis

Caroline and Paul Gibson

Benjamin Gott

Ms. Leah Hansen

Mary Alice Limperopulos

Lauren Malo

Holland Marcovich

Jessica and Justin McEntee

Alison McGovern

Charles McMahon and Katherine

Epifanio

The Moore Family

Kathryn and Ryan Morrell

Amy and Matt Pardee

Douglas Prescott

Alexandra and John Sise

Blythe and Zandy Smith

Courtney White and Keric Kenny

Emily and Grant Wood

MEMORIALS

In Memory of Jennifer Crosby Cargill

Celie Campbell

In Memory of Robyn Swan Filippone

Gary W. Potmesil

In Memory of Tom Hall

Joe and Roberta Gagne

Sandy Zera

In Memory of Joe G. Milkavich

Donald Milkavich

In Memory of Robert S. Regan

Tina McNulty

Jill Talladay

In Memory of Robert J. Rotanz

Kim and Chris Heyn

In Memory of Pearson Spaght

Junior League Book Group

In Memory of John B. Zellers

Margaret Zellers

TRIBUTES

In Honor of Charlie Clark

Beth Hebert

In Honor of Jane Dean

Rosalie Wolf

In Honor of Lian Dolan

Ms. Gilda Ferrara

In Honor of John Herzog

Tulis McCall

In Honor of Schuyler Huntoon

Hobart Van Deusen

In Honor of Thomas Sun-Ho Lee

Anonymous

In Honor of Mr. and Mrs. Nelson North

Mr. and Mrs. Lawrence D. Breck

In Honor of Coke Anne Wilcox

Lisa Schmucki

BEQUESTS

Bruce Salvo*

Satenig St. Marie*

Susan Converse Winslow*

LEADERSHIP CORPORATE SPECIAL EVENT SUPPORT

VIRGINIA MARQUAND MONROE GUILD ($5,000 - $9,999)

Kasson Jewelers

Oliver Nurseries and Design Associates

On the Harbor

The Russell Agency, LLC

MARY CATHERINE HULL WAKEMAN SOCIETY ($2,500 - $4,999)

All Seasons Marine Works

Brody Wilkinson PC

Jaguar Land Rover

Katie O’Grady and Company

Mar Jennings of The Higgins Group, Inc.

M&T Bank

Morgan Stanley Smith Barney

Russo & Rizio LLC.

Santa Energy Sturges Ridge of Fairfield

PATRON ($1,000 - $2,499)

Independent Jewelers Organization

J.McLaughlin

Maplewood at Southport

Nichols MD of Fairfield

Pirie Associates Architects

Southport Veterinary Center

CORPORATE SPECIAL EVENT SUPPORT

CONTRIBUTOR ($500 - $999)

Aspetuck Land Trust, Inc.

Celie Campbell Realtor

Cosmetic and Reconstructive Dentistry

Fairfield Country Day School

Finley’s Fiction

Greenfield Animal Hospital

Hatfield Insurance Agency, Inc.

Lindquist Landscape Design

Outdoor Design & Living

Robert A. Cardello Architects

Sacred Heart University

DUAL/FAMILY ($250 - $499)

Aqua-Lawn, Inc.

Bigelow Tea

Blue Door Vibes

MERmexichique

Sasqua Garden Club

Vivid Cottage

INDIVIDUAL PLUS ($100 - $249)

Baked and Sauced

Butternut Farm

Delamar Southport Hotel

Driftwood Design

Gazy Brothers Farm

Gioiella

Green Goddess CT, LLC

in2design

Little River Farm

Sandy Srihari Designs

Tide Hill

Two B’s Accessories

Two Oh Three

CORPORATE UNRESTRICTED SUPPORT

MARY CATHERINE HULL WAKEMAN SOCIETY

($5,000 - $9,999)

Butler Tibbetts

CONTRIBUTOR ($500 - $999)

Capossela, Cohen, LLC

DUAL/FAMILY ($250-499)

ServiceMaster of Westport

Stop & Shop

INDIVIDUAL PLUS ($100 - $249)

Autuori Electric LLC

CONTRIBUTING SPONSORS (IN-KIND)

A Fairfield Book Club

Arbikie

Alison and Michael Barry

Be Chocolat

Bodega Taco Bar

Mr. Christopher Bombard

Amanda and Aaron Borst

Butternut Farm

Caroline M. Calder

Samuel W. Cargill

Christine Catallo

Gabi Coatsworth

Coreen’s Bridge Floral Shop

Jane K. Dean

Deutsch Family Wine & Spirits

Equinox Southport

Fairfield & Greenwich Cheese Company

Fairfield Cheese Company

Fairfield County Story Lab

Flutes & Foam

Fresh Flower Bar

The Frick Collection

Garden Catering

Golf Lounge 18

Ellen Gould

Greens Farms Spirit Shop

Gruel Britannia

Harry’s Liquor Warehouse

Hartley & Parker Limited, Inc.

Henri’s Reserve

Highland Imports

Just Salad

Kasson Jewelers

Megan and Sean Kelly

Steven and Jennifer Kennedy

Kindred Spirits & Wine

Deborah and Zohrab Kouzoukian

Lynne Laukhuf

John and Ellen Levinson

Parisa Lotfi and Mehra Golshan

M. Communications

Magna Construction

Leslie and Sunil Mahtani

Jessica and Justin McEntee

Mo’s Wine and Spirits

Mr. Peter Moylan

Peg and Nelson North

Oliver Nurseries and Design Associates

Olivia Charney Interior Design

Organika Kitchen

Pamela Einarsen Photography

The Pantry

Margaret and Christopher Rieck

Marna Ringel

Polly Roessler and Lenie Epifano

The Porch at Christie’s

Bill and Erin Russell

Robert and Carolyn Russo

Belinda J. Shepard

Mr. Michael Shusman

Michael Sillerman

Blythe and Zandy Smith

The Sono Baking Company & Cafe

Southern Connecticut Ice and Oil LLC

Trader Joe’s

Trellis & Vine

Libby McKinney Tritschler

Two Oh Three

Two Roads Brewing Company

The Vintage Horse

Deb and Richard Deej Webb

Westport Astronomical Society

Mr. and Mrs. Jarvis Wilcox

Mr. David Wilk

Kerry Yates

MUNICIPAL SUPPORT

Town of Fairfield

MATCHING GIFT COMPANIES

Charities Aid Foundation America

Chevron Humankind

Cowen and Company, LLC

GE Foundation

Goldman, Sachs & Co. Matching Gift Program

IBM

KPMG Gives c/o Bergen County’s United Way

Pfizer Foundation

Stifel Financial Corp

FOUNDATIONS

FOUNDERS CIRCLE ($10,000 & above)

CT Humanities

Quidditch Foundation, Inc.

Renée B. Fisher Foundation, Inc.

VIRGINIA MARQUAND MONROE GUILD ($5,000 - $9,999)

Anonymous

Clarence and Anne Dillon Dunwalke Trust

CT Humanities

Emily Hall Tremaine Foundation (EHTF)

MARY CATHERINE HULL WAKEMAN SOCIETY ($2,500 - $4,999)

The Steven Della Rocca Memorial Fund

The M&T Charitable Foundation

The Grace Jones Richardson Trust Shelter Hill Foundation

Wilmot Wheeler Foundation, Inc.

PATRON ($1,000 - $2,499)

Aronson Family Foundation

Fairfield Rotary Club Foundation, Inc.

Horton Family Fund (FCCF)

Kaulbach Charitable Foundation

Pequot Runners

CONTRIBUTOR ($500 - $999)

The William and Diana Romney Gray

Family Foundation

MacInnis Family Foundation

The Ruscito and Head Family Foundation

DUAL/FAMILY ($250 - $499)

Christian I. & Hilma A. Gravesen

Memorial Fund

MEDIA SPONSORS

Connecticut Cottages & Gardens

Venü Magazine

LOCAL ORGANIZATIONS

CONTRIBUTOR ($500 - $999)

Trinity Episcopal Church

DUAL/FAMILY ($250 - $499)

Connecticut Accordion Association

Reading with Robin LLC

INDIVIDUAL PLUS ($100 - $249)

Greater Bridgeport St. Patricks Day

Junior League Book Group

COMMUNITY PARTNERS

Bellarmine Museum of Art, Fairfield University

Bridgeport Public Schools

Butternut Farms, Southport

Cardinal Shehan Center

Child Guidance Center of Mid-Fairfield

Connecticut Audubon Society

Fairfield Country Day School

Fairfield University

Fairfield UpNext

Fordham University

Garden Club of Easton

Greens Farms Academy

Greenwich Symphony Orchestra

Harvard University

Institute for Irish Studies

Lights Out Connecticut

Master Gardener Program, University of Connecticut

Merritt Parkway Conservancy

Music for Youth

Noah Webster House & West Hartford

Historical Society

Norwalk Symphony

Orchestra Lumos

Pollinator Pathway

Prudence Crandall Museum

Quick Center for the Arts

Sasqua Garden Club

Sasquanaug Association

Shakespeare on the Sound

Silver Hill Hospital

Sustainable Fairfield

Trinity Spiritual Center

Westport Astronomical Society

Westport Garden Club

Yale Center for British Art

Yale University

Award Winners

CHERYL CARLESIMO | VOLUNTEER OF THE YEAR

One particular trip to the Library with my twin daughters—searching for a history book—inspired decades of work with Pequot. The library became not just a place to get books; but also somewhere to explore, find answers, and discover new worlds. We all fell in love with Pequot together. Soon after, Jane Dean and Virginia Cargill talked me into joining the Meet the Author Committee, which became a decades-long commitment that would lead me to meet many wonderful authors, make great friends with other committee members, and help enlarge the scope of the committee’s outreach by working with other organizations, schools, and historical societies.

I very much appreciate this award and these 33 years that are filled with a montage of bright, engaging images: the brilliant Amor Towles as he painted the world of A Gentleman in Moscow; the amazing Peter Sis, winner of the Hans Christian Andersen and MacArthur Awards, telling the story of The Pilot and The Little Prince; and the unforgettable Joanne Freeman, rock star historian from Yale, with her book on famous duels, Affairs of Honor, when the local historical society kindly brought over Aaron Burr’s pistol for the evening. The list goes on in the Meet the Author Series, celebrating books from Frank de Ford, Abigail Dodge, Michel Nischan, Rochelle Almeida, Lian Dolan, Fiona Davis, and so many other good friends. Pequot is also one of the most beautiful libraries on the planet. I love to crawl up into the stacks to better see the brilliant Tiffany windows, browse in the children’s room, and visit the bunny. The exhibits are always so beautifully planned and artfully hung. Volunteering at Pequot Library has truly been a joy in my life, even on the long, hot days of the Summer Book Sale where you always make new friends and find new books. Thanks so much for this recognition and for all these irreplaceable Pequot memories!

CATHIE CIPOLLA | CRANE-WOOD BOOK SALE AWARD

This honor has special meaning for me because I started volunteering at the summer sale in 1979 when Stanley Crane was librarian, and I often ordered books from the Open Book Shop, originally owned by Fred Wood, when I was teaching. When I retired I had more hours to devote to Pequot.

I love books and libraries. When my husband and I lived in Oxford, England, I worked at the Bodleian Library, and I felt so lucky to be there. Never did I know then that I would have an opportunity to volunteer at another unique and beautiful library. Pequot volunteers are dedicated to the library and to helping each other. Who would not want to volunteer here?

THE LAWLOR FAMILY | HOYT O. PERRY LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD

Since we first came to Southport 32 years ago, Pequot Library has been one of the biggest reasons we moved and stayed here. As if the Summer Book Sale wasn’t enough of a draw, over the past three decades we’ve enjoyed concerts, lectures, Shakespeare, Downton Abbey viewing parties, walking tours, caroling parties, and fabulous galas like the Art Show and Derby Day.

Once our daughters Caroline and Julia arrived we added pajama storytime, summer reading clubs, game nights, bunny rabbit walks, candy-making, parades, and pie-eating contests to the marvelous mix. Both girls learned to read there, and we’ve all enjoyed curling up in a comfy armchair with a good book in a quiet corner. Volunteering and pitching in for the book sales, Secret Service squad, and most recently Thomas’ time serving on the Board are our way of trying to give back a fraction of the joy Pequot Library has given our family over the past three decades. Thank you, Pequot Library!

Praise for Pequot Library

“To us, Pequot is so much more than a library. It’s our home away from home. ... There’s nowhere else quite like it.”

—Eliza and Jake Chang, monthly sustaining donors

“Pequot is...one of the most beautiful libraries on the planet.”

—Cheryl Carlesimo, winner of the Volunteer of the Year Award

“With wonderful grounds, fascinating period-defining architecture, a plethora of programs for people of all stages of life, and events that bring people together, there is no place quite like Pequot Library.”

—Harrison Gordon, winner of the 22 Under 22 Art Show in 2019

“Pequot volunteers are dedicated to the library and to helping each other. Who would not want to volunteer here?

—Cathie Cipolla, winner of the Crane-Wood Book Sale Award

“My visits to the library...gave me a remarkable sense of agency, and of independence at a very young age.”

—Carol Reeves Park, member of The 1889 Society

“Pequot Library has been one of the biggest reasons we moved and stayed here.”

—The Lawlor Family, winners of the Hoyt O. Perry Lifetime Achievement Award

“The library’s motto is ‘Free as Air to All,’ and it really lives by this phrase. The library provides so much for our community and is such a staple in this town, yet it doesn’t ask for anything in return.”

—Liz and Justin Bechtold

PEQUOT LIBRARY

Annual Report content and editing: Grace Calderon, Christine Catallo, Stephanie J. Coakley, Cecily Dyer, John Gleckler, Alex Heekin, John Kofron, Owen Lockwood, Jane Manners, Princess McCann, Jessie McEntee, Charlie McMahon 720

Annual Report design: Victoria Konopka