Friends Board of Directors 2023-2024
Kathleen Dolan - Treasurer
Prema Chandra - Director - Book Sale Chair
Martha Mahoney - Director - Book Sorting Chair
MaryJane Bausemer - Director
Marilyn Blumsack - Director
Natasha Groden - Director
Jack Hall - Director
Sheila Lane - Director
Judy Reghitto - Director
Mary Sakellarios - Director
Michelle Shainker- Director
Friends president, Susan McKelliget, grew up in Andover and says,"We often tell tales of our childhood centering on time spent in what was then the Children’s room of the Library. The year was 1966, so let’s just say I must have been VERY young! The certificate shown here is something that survived moves, many decades, and earlier sessions of throwing things out. I can’t find my diplomas, oreven certain other awards that many might think worth saving. But here I have this little paper award, that is still hanging on—simply acknowledging that once upon a time, at Memorial Hall Library, I was reading, reading, reading. And, in part due to the Memorial Hall Library-- all these years later-- I still am!
Treasurer Kathleen Dolan, an Andover Townie. She spent her career in education, most notably at the Pingree School as Academic Dean and Assistant Head of School. Kathleen is also a member of the Town of Andover's Commission on Disability. She has been active with the Friends for several years and has led several reading groups for the library's programs, e.g., World War I Commemoration, Shakespeare Celebration.
She's a lifelong reader because," When I was a little girl, a babysitter of mine gave me her treasure of very old Nancy Drew books. From that moment on, I have been addicted to a life of crime fiction. Thank you, dear Ruthie. What a gift!"
MISS LANE
When I was a little girl growing up in Andover in the 50s, I often went to the library after school. At that time, in order to get to the Children’s Room, you entered the library through a door in the small annex next to the main library and walked downstairs. The room itself was very tiny. At least, I remember it as being very tiny, so I think it must have been. In those days, libraries were also very quiet, and talking was not allowed unless you were whispering with the librarian. The librarian at that time was called Miss Lane, and she was the only adult we ever saw in the Children’s Room. She was very nice to us children and liked to recommend and talk about books that she thought we would like.
Of course, we had no idea if Miss Lane had a life outside the library. I’m sure the idea never entered our minds. And we didn’t even discuss whether she had a first name. It was just “Miss.” In fact, in all the years since my childhood, whenever I have talked with anyone about the Children’s Room during that time, we still refer to her as Miss Lane.
Miss Lane and Miss Putnam (her name was Miriam. I have learned that one), who was the Director of the Library for many years, used to visit elementary schools in town in order to introduce children to the Library. When my brother was little, he went to the two-room school house across from the West Parish Church. The school and a small playground were on a triangular patch of land that is still there. The teacher there was Miss Doby, another name that will ring a bell for many old-timers in town. Her name was Isabel. Still no name for Miss Lane, however. John, my brother, remembers that Miss Lane was very nice to the children and introduced him to a series called “A Boy’s Life…,” the first books he learned to enjoy on his own.
Norma Gammon recalls small groups in the Children’s Room where Miss Lane would read to the children, and Mary Jane (Walton) Bausemer remembers the most of all. Mary Jane lived down Pearson Street near St. Augustine’s Church, and she and her siblings practically lived in the Children’s Room every day after school. Mary Jane wrote to me the following about her memories of Miss Lane:
"My fondest memories of Miss Lane were her story hours. She really made a book come to life for me. I didn't have stories read to me with different voices and the feeling she put in a story. She made me want to take the "story time book" home the minute story hour was over, and I often was able to! I would hold the book walking down Pearson Street flipping pages and trying to sound the way Miss Lane did. I never succeeded. I also remember her reading a Peter Rabbit, Beatrix Potter book and showing us an original drawing the library owned which hung on the wall in the old children's room. I was fascinated that a drawing from the book could be owned by "my" library. I've often wondered what became of that valuable piece of art and why it is no longer displayed?"
Stephanie Aude, Local History librarian at MHL, found Miss Lane’s obituary, and we discovered that she accomplished a great deal before and after 18 years in that little room in the library. She was a graduate of Welleley College where she was on the basketball team, taught at a girls’ school in Turkey, served as a Trustee of the Boxford Public Library, and was Director of the Document Center in that town. She taught Sunday School and donated parcels of land she owned to the Essex County Greenbelt. So our Miss Lane was an amazing woman who live a life of service and whose greatest gift to the children of Andover was the love of reading, the gift of a lifetime.
And yes, she had a first name which is engraved
on her stone in the Boxford Village Cemetery.
Board member Jack Hall tells us that two of his very favorite activities are swimming and going to libraries. When I was very young my dad belonged to a group of friends that would play poker once a week. The gathering would rotate among the friends houses and I was always excited for it to come to our house because one of the "card sharks" was Hugh Downey, then Library Director for the City of Lowell. My dad would take me to the library and we would always visit Mr. Downey before getting a book. Mr. Downey would always give us a great tour of the library and we would hang out in his office. Mr. Downey would also come to my elementary school with the bookmobile. He knew who I was and would give me a big hello and say things like," Tell your dad I'm coming over to your house tonight to win all of his money." I thought he was very cool. Because of Mr. Downey I think of libraries as places where the cool people hang out and I'm not wrong.
These are pictures of my dad's library card from 1932 and his certificate of appointment as a library trustee in 1940.
Board Member Martha Mahoney is a graduate of UMass Amherst with a graduate degree from Boston University.
She is a former 5th and 6th grade teacher for 19 years and school librarian for 22 years. Her entire career in education was spent in the Wilmington Public Schools.
She enjoys reading, quilting, golfing and walking, not necessarily in that order. When she was younger she did a lot of alpine and Nordic skiing. As you can tell by her photograph she enjoys her dogs.
She love being able to go to the library and utilize all of the Materials that are available to us including the reference librarians that are always there.
She is Co-Chairperson of the Book Sale Committee.
Board of Directors Member Mary Jane Bausemer has been involved in all aspects of the Friends for many years. She has some great stories about the library, Andover, Boston's Back Bay, Newberry Street, the Beach, etc. In her own words here is a library tale of youthful exuberance.
A long, long time ago (sounds like the beginning of a children's story) I grew up on Pearson Street (the street where the parking lot entrance to the library is located) but I LIVED at the library.
Let me set the scene: I am six or seven years old.
The old children's room was located on the side near where the Mobil garage is located today and down a flight of stairs off Main Street
The children's room had bookcases made of wood and filled with what else books. The top shelf was empty except for a few mostly green houseplants with some flowering African violets. One day a librarian asked if I would be willing to care for the plants. I was over the moon happy. I was told to water the plants once a week. I can handle this I confidently thought, easy peas y!
You can all probably guess what happened. Right. I over watered the plants and the bookcase and the books. On week two I see a sign printed with these words.....
MARYJANE WALTON (my maiden name) IS NOT ALLOWED TO WATER ANY PLANTS.
Post script-I later studied horticulture and had a successful business servicing the plant needs of many Boston firms and Beacon Hill mansions!
Board Secretary/Clerk Noreen Volpe's connection to the Friends goes way back to West Junior High where she was friends with the son of long time Friend and Board Member Faye Pierce. However, it wasn't until she was an English major at UMASS/Lowell that she realized how far reaching the library's programs were. As she notes," I took a music course in 97-98 in college. It centered around music from baroque to mid 18th century. We had to attend a concert and write a paper. I had used services at MHL for school reports, but it wasn't until I was taking this course that I got to experience the concerts they gave. I still remember Smetana's The Moldau."
Since then she has been a fast Friend of the library helping with book sales and coming on to the Board of Directors as Secretary/Clerk.