SOUTH ORANGE, NJ — The South Orange Public Library commemorated its 150th anniversary with a second celebration — a symposium held in conjunction with the South Orange Historical and Preservation Society at South Orange Middle School on Nov. 5.
A collection of speakers discussed a range of subjects at the event, but one thing was clear throughout: everyone present had been influenced in some way by either the SOPL or libraries in general.
The fact that libraries have played a role in so many lives is no surprise to SOPL Director Melissa Kopecky, who pointed out that libraries are an asset to any community. The SOPL in particular has greatly benefited the village ever since its launch in 1866, Kopecky said, when founder William Beebe wanted to offer books to those who could not afford them. Since then, she said the library has grown to encompass meeting space and the latest technology, but it really is not so different from when it first started.
“It’s definitely been a story of evolving services but with the same core mission about providing access to culture, to information,” Kopecky told the News-Record in a Nov. 4 phone interview. “There’s a consistency that’s wonderful.”
Visiting the library was always a constant in SOHPS President Karen Marlowe’s life. Marlowe told the News-Record that her mother worked at the SOPL for years, so she cannot remember a time when she was not a regular patron. As a result, she said she was able to hone her love for history with the information that was always at her fingertips. The time spent there also gave her an appreciation for the value of the SOPL, which she called a “hub of both learning and social interaction.”
Today, Marlowe said the SOPL is a major resource for SOHPS. And while some may view the rise of the internet as the decline of the library, sbe does not think those institutions are going anywhere.
“The internet’s important, but it still does not replace a library,” Marlowe said in a Nov. 3 phone interview. “They still have the information that a lot of people have thought it was unnecessary to digitize or use the internet for. You’d think you’d find everything on the internet, but you can’t.”
Libraries have always been integral to New York Yankees press box legend Ed Lucas, despite his blindness. Lucas told the News-Record that he frequently visited Seton Hall University’s library when he was a student there, with divinity students reading to him and helping him do research. Later in life, he said he often took his two sons to libraries to teach them about their importance. The lesson was apparently received — during the Lucases’ presentation, his son Chris remarked that the baseball players his father covers might get a lot of attention, but librarians do far more meaningful work.
Yet the Lucases were not at the symposium to talk just about libraries. They actually were there to share Ed Lucas’ inspirational life story, documented in his 2015 autobiography “Seeing Home.” His journey started when he was left blind at 12 years old after a line drive in a sandlot baseball game struck him between the eyes — shortly after watching his beloved New York Giants win the 1951 National League pennant after Bobby Thompson’s “shot heard round the world.” As Ed Lucas recalled during the SOHPS event, he thought his life was over until his mother introduced him to Yankees shortstop Phil “The Scooter” Rizzuto after learning he worked at a nearby store during the off-season.
Rizzuto and Ed Lucas became friends after that, with the famed shortstop taking the boy to games and encouraging him to get his education. So he did, studying communications at Seton Hall and even interviewing baseball stars on his own WSOU show. After graduating, Ed Lucas eventually started covering the Yankees professionally, as he continues to do more than 60 years later.
But life was not always easy for Ed Lucas even after achieving his dream. He told the News-Record that he had to prove himself to the other reporters who did not think a blind man could cover sports. Players from opposing teams would also be difficult, he said, such as the time one athlete demanded that he leave with his Seeing Eye dog because the locker room was not a petting zoo. He said Rizzuto urged him not to listen to the naysayers though, and Rizzuto’s encouragement still inspires him to stick with his passion.
“The Scooter’s with me all the time,” Ed Lucas told the News-Record prior to taking the stage. “He’s there every day. Even though he’s gone, he still has an impact on me.”
Now Ed Lucas is the one encouraging people to follow their dreams despite the obstacles they may face. He said he always tells people never to give up, just as Rizzuto did for him.
Ruby Scalera also sent an inspirational message through her presentation: It is OK to embrace who you are. During her talk on “Geek Chic,” the journalist and recent college graduate said that terms such as “geek” and “nerd” no longer carry a negative connotation. That is because the internet has allowed people with specific interests to connect with one another and form their own subgroups, she said. Now, she said, being called a geek can even be considered a compliment.
“It’s cool and accepted and encouraged to be who you are without any hesitation,” Scalera said. “There’s pride in the nerd.”
Scalera, who used to work at the SOPL, added that libraries have perpetuated this sentiment by becoming physical embodiments of the internet. Much like the online world, she said the library is where people can immerse themselves in any subject that interests them while also joining clubs consisting of like-minded individuals. As a result, she said, stereotypes are broken down and people can feel comfortable being themselves.
Elizabeth Budelman benefited a lot from the libraries she used for research when writing her historical memoir “150 Montrose,” an account of her family’s life on a large South Orange estate. Though she has plenty of happy memories from growing up on the property — which included multiple houses, a garden and a baseball field — she said she wanted to infuse her book with facts from historical record. At the same time, her memoir is filled with her own recollections. She told one such story during the symposium about how, as a 6-year-old, she and her cousin, who was 5, trekked from their playhouse all the way to Cameron Field, where they played until the police took them home.
Dustin Dumas also stressed the importance of the library in terms of historical preservation. Dumas, the host of SOMA TV’s “Dustin’s Kaleidoscope,” pointed out that history is made every day. Yet without anyone to record and collect it, she said the people of tomorrow will have nothing to look back on. Thus, she said the work of the SOPL as well as SOMA TV is vital because doing seemingly simple things such as filming events and posting them online will offer a wealth of context and understanding to people years from now who are trying to learn what life was like in 2016 South Orange.
Meg Marlowe and Tina Holcomb, Karen Marlowe’s sisters, were able to learn what life was like in South Orange since the 1800s through extensive research at the library. Using newspaper archives and photos, the two sisters compiled a presentation about how the village celebrated its milestones dating back to its incorporation in 1869. The library’s resources allowed them to discover some interesting details, too, including the fact that residents from 1876 were calling their Fourth of July event an “old-fashioned” celebration.
Researching the past milestones was highly enjoyable for the sisters, who told the News-Record they have inherited their mother’s love of the library. And they are glad that residents have continued to support the institution for the past 150 years. After all, Meg Marlowe said, at the library people can learn about history and grow from it. Plus, she said, it is at the library where people can learn about how to make their dreams come true.
“Libraries are the best places on Earth,” Meg Marlowe told the News-Record prior to her presentation.
The library director herself spoke during the symposium alongside SOHPS Vice President Alan Delozier. The two presented excerpts from a timeline they had put together delineating centuries of village and SOPL history, from the purchase of the land that became South Orange from the Lenni Lenape Indians in 1666 to the SOPL’s current plans to connect with the Connett Memorial Library.
Delozier, who is Seton Hall’s archivist, hopes even more SOPL milestones will be added to the timeline in the future. The library has already become a focal point for South Orange history, keeping local knowledge and traditions alive and that effort deserves to be supported, he said.
“The library, its staff and all those involved with the South Orange Public Library have done such a tremendous public service that it is important to keep perpetuating the great work they’ve already done,” Delozier told the News-Record before the event. “The library’s invaluable, and hopefully it will last another 150 years and beyond.”
Photos by Sean Quinn
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