Library Launches Tom Twomey Talks
Thomas A. Twomey’s sudden death in November came just five months after the grand-opening ceremony commemorating the East Hampton Library’s $6.5 million expansion and renovation. Mr. Twomey, a lawyer, civic leader, and chairman of the library’s board of managers, had played an integral part in the yearslong project, which added 6,800 square feet and houses the new children’s reading room and the Baldwin Family Lecture Room.
On Saturday, his last wish for the library will come to life with the dedication of the Tom Twomey Gallery and the launch of a new lecture series named for him. The Tom Twomey Series: Conversations With . . . comprises 12 free Saturday afternoon programs to be held in the Baldwin Family Lecture Room. The series will explore a wide variety of ideas, issues, and topics ranging from climate change, local history, and government to professional sports, North Korea, and popular songs of World War I.
The program will run through September. Each event will begin at 4 p.m. with a wine reception, followed by the presentation and question-and-answer session from 4:30 to 5:45. A member of the library’s board of managers will host each lecture.
A website dedicated to the series, TomTwomeySeries.org, offers details of the series and each event and includes a wealth of additional resources such as links to documents, videos, and the library’s Long Island Collection. Those interested in attending lectures can reserve a seat via the website. Reservations can also be made at the library’s adult reference desk, by calling the library, or by sending an email to [email protected].
On Saturday, Gina Piastuck, head of the Long Island Collection, will talk about recent acquisitions. The event will also launch the sixth and final volume of the East Hampton Historical Collection book series, which Mr. Twomey edited.
“We started working on this early in the fall, before Tom passed away,” said Dennis Fabiszak, the library’s director. “He saw it as a great way for the board to get re-involved in the library’s service and programs after spending so many years working on getting the addition built.” A committee was formed to create the series, Mr. Fabiszak said. “After Tom passed away, everybody really got busy and got to work. We made sure we could put together a successful event.”
Mr. Twomey’s death, while the series was in development, motivated the library’s board, Brooke Kroeger, chairwoman of the series, agreed. “Everybody sprang into action and it was heartwarming,” she said. “How people felt about Tom was evident.”
The Tom Twomey Gallery, just outside the Baldwin Family Lecture Room, will play a part in each lecture, Mr. Fabiszak said, with a display of images from the Long Island Collection related to the particular topic. “It will change as we move through the series,” he said.
For the April 25 event, “Meeting Climate Change Challenges: A Coastal Community Perspective,” for example, images from The Star’s coverage of the 1938 Hurricane will be featured. Content from The Star’s archives will also be featured, along with letters and postcards from Europe, in “Over There: Greatest Hits of the Great War,” on May 23.
“I think we’ve got something for everyone,” Ms. Kroeger said. “Some will probably be pretty heated, I hope.”
The New York Council for the Humanities provided funding for the series, as did Suffolk County National Bank, which is marking its 125th anniversary.
“We’re going to get better and better at this,” Ms. Kroeger said of the series. An interactive multimedia experience via the dedicated website was important, she said, providing participants a means to be better informed and prepared for the events, should they choose to be. “Libraries should open pathways to knowledge and exciting discourse,” she said. “We should have the resources readily available.”