LIBRARY NOTES
Library Legacies
Sunday, June 1, 2008
The simple bequest form printed in
Annual Reports between 1882 and 1936.
Irene Schmied, a member for twenty-four years, recently informed the Library that she has designated it as a beneficiary in her will. In explaining why she decided to make this wonderful gesture, she said that finding the Library was a great comfort to her during a significant transitional period in her life. She recounted an early visit in which she discovered a poem,"Doubts About Devon," by Ruth Silcock, an old friend from England. She wrote to Ms. Silcock, renewing and strengthening a friendship that continues to this day. Ms. Schmied added,"Finding the Library helped me to find things that always were important to me. It was a good feeling. It became a refuge....It reminds you of things that are very valuable, and reaffirms one's own value."
Over the years, the Library has played a meaningful role in the lives of countless others, as evidenced by the longevity of their memberships. Over 700 currently active members joined at least twenty years ago, like Ms. Schmied; ninety members joined at least forty years ago, and, astonishingly, twenty-five loyal individuals have been members for more than fifty years. As it has done for hundreds of years, the Library can have a profound impact on its members, readers and writers alike, for decades.
For more than 150 years, many have chosen to honor this connection by making a provision for the Library in their wills. Our first legacy, of $5,000, came from Miss Elizabeth DeMilt in 1849. The 1917 bequest of the residuary estate of Mrs. Charles C. Goodhue (Sarah Parker Goodhue) was intended for a building to house the Library along with art objects - notably portraits, statues, and china - that were included in the legacy. Wise investments resulted in the fund more than doubling by 1936, when it enabled us to purchase our current building on 79th Street. A charcoal portrait of Mrs. Goodhue, whose generosity formed the basis of all the Library's activities for the past 70 years, hangs opposite the east elevator on the first floor. The portraits and statues she gave adorn our main staircase, and her china is displayed in the Members' Room. Since Mrs. Goodhue, many other individuals have joined her in strengthening the Library's legacy through their own bequests, large and small.
We wish to thank and honor those who are including the Library in their estate plans. If you have provided for the Library's future with a bequest, or if you intend to, please contact Director of Development Joan Zimmett. This will allow us to answer any questions you may have and to update our records. The Development Department can be reached at 212-288-6900 x207 or jzimmett@nysoclib.org.
|