What Will Be Your Legacy?
Clark Memorial Library is a unique resource in Bethany, Connecticut. In 1930, Treat Johnson, a Yale Professor and Bethany resident, organized efforts to create the Bethany Library Association. In 1935, another Bethany native, Noyes Clark, offered to build and endow a new library building in honor of his parents Althea Bradley Clark and Dwight Noyes Clark. When Mr. Clark died in 1937, he left a substantial endowment fund which continues to be one of the chief sources of income for the library. Since then, the Clark endowment has been augmented by a fund given by Treat Johnson, and by many memorial gifts of other townspeople. The 1937 Legacy Society is a way to join in this tradition and ensure the long-term sustainability of Clark Memorial Library.
If your life – or the lives of your children and grandchildren – have been enriched by your life-long library experiences of books and learning, please consider sharing that gift with the present and future residents of Bethany, offering something like your own legacy for future generations. By supporting the 1937 Legacy Society you can help to create an inspiring example for others to follow. And – it’s rewarding to pass on a legacy. We invite you to consider this powerful opportunity to enrich lives, strengthen our community and shape our shared culture.
The 1937 Legacy Society recognizes supporters of the Clark Memorial Library who have included the library in their estate plans. By leaving a gift in your will to the 1937 Legacy Society, you have an opportunity to magnify a lifetime of generosity and influence. When you make such a bequest, you are joining others to help fulfill the Library’s mission to engage patrons in the love of learning and reading. It is our goal to grow a vibrant community of thinkers. Engage. Connect. Grow.
Current members of the 1937 Legacy Society
“My mother always wanted to be a librarian. That dream became a reality when she began working as a librarian at the Clark Memorial Library in the 1950’s. As a Bethany resident, she continued to work there as she completed her degree in Library Science at Southern Connecticut State College, graduating in 1965. Her aspirations were passed down to me – and I too completed a library degree, subsequently serving on the faculty of SCSU and mentoring many young librarians for over 40 years.
– Nancy Disbrow
I believe there is no better way to honor my mother’s legacy, and my love of libraries and learning, than to become a member of the Bethany Library’s 1937 Legacy Society, assuring that this important institution continues to strengthen and enrich the many lives of our community.”
Former BLA Board member and current member of the Friends of the Bethany Library
“I’ve been visiting the library since I moved to Bethany four years ago, and serving there as a volunteer for nearly as long. Other than my home, the library is the center of my life in Bethany. More importantly, it’s a home away from home for my nieces, who are growing up surrounded by books and activities and caring staff.
– Sheila M. Lane
The library is one of their favorite places, and who can blame them? I’m a member of the Legacy Society because I want them to always have this favorite place, and maybe someday bring their children and nephews and nieces there to enjoy it.”
Bethany Library Board Member 2022