Patron Spotlight

Patron Spotlight: Deb and Jennah Newton

By Regina G. Feeney and Cynthia J. Krieg

 

There are three things that Deb loves: being a mom, riding a motorcycle, and the Freeport Memorial Library.  Deb’s fondness for libraries began as a child in Amityville.  Her mother took her to the library frequently and, for many years, she was an active participant in the various summer reading clubs.  Work eventually brought Deb to Freeport.  While working at the Social Security Office on Sunrise Highway, Deb would often come to the library on her lunch break.  Eventually, she bought a co-op close to work and the library. 

Deb believes in following her dreams.  As a teenager, she always wanted to learn to ride a motorcycle.  Once she was living on her own, she took lessons, got her motorcycle license, and bought a bike.  Deb also likes being a trailblazer.  She became the first woman to join the Queen's motorcycle club, the Urban Knights.  Her tenacity paid off.  While in the club, she met and married fellow Urban Knight, Mark Newton. 

On August 21, 2009, Mark and Deb had a baby girl named Jennah.  Since then, Deb has been home schooling her daughter with materials from the library.  Like her own mother, Deb wants Jennah to be a life-long library user.  She makes a special effort to take Jennah to the library every chance she gets.  "Between six and nine months old" Deb said, "Jenna was enrolled in Baby and Me."  From there came Crafty Toddler, Circle Time, Mother Goose, Parent-Child Workshop, and more.  The door to the Newton's apartment is decorated with many of Jenna's library crafts.  Deb also takes advantage of the library's Museum Pass program that allows Freeport residents to check-out passes to local museums for free.  The Newton's have been to the Children's Museum of Manhattan, the Long Island Children’s Museum, and the Cradle of Aviation.

After Hurricane Sandy hit, Deb noticed that many of her neighbors in her co-op were struggling to keep their children entertained.  Schools were closed, gas was next to impossible to get, and families were suffering from cabin fever.  Deb received permission from the building’s management agent to open the party room and created the "Park Sutton Kiddie Club."  Deb modeled many of the club's activities from library programs she and Jennah had attended.  For about a week, children could play, read, draw, and do crafts.  The club even held a baking program.  Jennah especially loved making the "princess cookies." 

Wherever Deb and Jennah go, they like to check out the local library.  But according to Deb, "Nothing compares to our library.  The staff is so accommodating and I appreciate that the library offers the same programs at different times during the week.  Freeport Memorial Library is awesome!"

Patron Spotlight

Patron Spotlight: Dorothy Sellers

By Regina G. Feeney and Cynthia J. Krieg

 

 

Dorothy Sellers loves libraries. For most of her 99 years, she has had a fondness for reading. Growing up in coal country, in the mountains outside Pittsburgh, PA, the library was the center of her childhood. Everyone in her town went to the library. It was an important part of the community. Dorothy still remembers Miss Seaton, the librarian who ruled the roost.

The Great Depression hit while Dorothy was in high school, and it devastated her town. Her father lost his business and eventually died. Dorothy left the Keystone State to attend Ohio Wesleyan University. After graduation, she moved in with a relative in Floral Park and began looking for work in Manhattan. But most jobs required some experience, and Dorothy had none. Undaunted, Dorothy padded her resume and eventually got a job at Seagram’s on Park Avenue as an executive secretary. During her tenure, she was able to attend the Kentucky Derby and go to meetings in Palm Beach. She loved her job at Seagram’s and worked there for nearly 40 years.

Dorothy moved to Freeport in the 1940s and immediately joined the Freeport Memorial Library. She remembers Freeport as a great community for shopping. Every Saturday, shoppers found their way to Main Street and shopped in Carol Green’s, Samet’s, and Woolworth.

When not reading, working, or shopping, Dorothy worked on crafts. Many of her creations were sold in the gift shop of the Waldorf Astoria Hotel just down the block from Seagram’s. Her favorite craft was making miniature Christmas trees and ornaments. She even made personalized trees for Presidents Hoover and Eisenhower.

Dorothy sees herself as the dowager queen of her family. She has nieces and nephews and grandnieces and grandnephews living all over the world. To keep in contact with her family, she uses email on her iPad. When not at the Library, she spends time with friends and attends aerobic classes. She celebrated her 99th birthday by visiting the High Line Park on Manhattan’s West Side.

Patron Spotlight

Patron Spotlight: Larry Gumbs
by Regina G. Feeney and Cynthia J. Krieg

What does Larry Gumbs love about the Library? “It’s a lot more than just books!” Mr. Gumbs was born in St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands. He left the Caribbean to attend Seton Hall University and received his B.A. in political science. He then attended the University of Michigan and was awarded a master’s degree in social work. While at the university, he met his wife, Marianne.

Mr. Gumbs is a proud Vietnam veteran. He served as a naval officer for almost seven years in San Diego and Japan. He and Marianne spent six years in the U.S. Virgin Islands before moving to Freeport in 1973. He worked as a social worker for the Freeport Family Community Project.

In 1980, Mr. Gumbs began working at Family Services in Hempstead. After 20 years, he retired and has now begun a new career as what he calls a “professional volunteer.” Using his social work background, Mr. Gumbs has counseled Vietnam veterans, and he will soon volunteer as a financial counselor for teens at the Family and Children’s Center in Hempstead.

Mr. Gumbs loves not just the Freeport Library; he loves all libraries. When he and Marianne travel, they often find themselves in the local public library. The Gumbs family loves to travel. They have been to Oregon to visit one son and attended their other son’s wedding in India. They plan to visit Eastern Europe in the near future. Before any of their trips, they come to the Freeport Memorial Library to borrow travel books. But for Larry Gumbs, the Library offers much more than books. He loves the free movies, lectures, and concerts.

The Library has benefited greatly from Mr. Gumbs’ volunteer spirit. In 2005, he became president of the Friends of the Freeport Memorial Library. As president, he has helped raise money for Library programs and much needed equipment. He would like more people to join the Friends.

Since 1975, the Friends of the Freeport Memorial Library have served as capable fundraisers and advocates for the Library. Over the years, the Friends have helped the Library expand, they purchased a piano for concerts, and they made generous donations including: chairs for the meeting rooms, a video projector and a laptop computer used for programs, and the large display screen in the lobby. The Friends also sponsor many programs including an annual holiday concert. For more information about the Friends, visit the Library’s website: www.freeportlibrary.info.

Patron Spotlight

Patron Spotlight: Gwendolyn Watson

Librarians are not supposed to have favorites, but if we did, Gwendolyn Watson would be high on our list. Mrs. Watson has been a patron of the Freeport Memorial Library since moving to Freeport in 1986.

Mrs. Watson is a retiree of the Westbury Public Schools where for 28 years she was a secretary to the principal in one of the district schools. Before that she worked at Adelphi University for 10 years, serving as secretary in the religious center, and later as a secretary in the physical education department.

Being retired allows Mrs. Watson the opportunity to visit the Library frequently. Besides having the opportunity to read numerous books, she finds the many sources of reference materials and programs available to the community outstanding.

Mrs. Watson, who has a strong interest in travel, has been around the globe; highlights include her visits to the United Kingdom and China. Before she books a trip, she plans her itinerary at the Library by taking advantage of our travel books, magazines, DVDs, and monthly travel lectures.

When not visiting exotic places, Mrs. Watson enjoys taking her grandchildren to local museums and botanical gardens with the Library’s free museum passes. She is also a regular at the Library’s Sunday concerts and enjoys the Library’s monthly art exhibits and art receptions.

Mrs. Watson believes that education is a life-long experience that includes reading books, visiting museums, and traveling to new places. When not keeping her mind fit, she keeps physically fit by taking various exercise classes including aquacize, tai-chi, yoga, and zumba.

Mrs. Watson is a longtime member of the Friends of the Freeport Memorial Library. She is also the proud mother of three children and eight grandchildren.