Dear Source:
I am a member of The Friends of the St. Thomas Public Libraries (FOSTPL), but I am writing as a private citizen as I feel so strongly about its subject: the naming of what is now being called the St. Thomas Regional Library. Over the past week FOSTPL has communicated with the legislative body including the sponsor of Bill No. 29-0012, An Act renaming the new Regional Public Library in Estate Tutu, St. Thomas “The Charles Wesley Turnbull Regional Library” in honor of Governor Charles Wesley Turnbull.
I have been privy to several communications via email, telephone, and social media and in response to the Letter to the Editor submitted by FOSTPL and published in both online and print news. One person in particular is mentioned more than most, and that is the late June A. V. Lindqvist. I saw a copy of the actual bill honoring Lindqvist (20th Legislature); I found it quite instructional as I met her but had no
idea how much devotion she had given to the people of the U.S. Virgin Islands.
I am certain that if it were not for June Lindqvist, many of the precious treasures that exist in the Von Scholten Collection would not exist, as she took it upon herself to raise $10,000 to replace damaged microfilms – in 1986, a tidy sum! She found the time to educate herself and set a sterling example of scholarly endeavor in pursuit of a goal. She even stood in solid opposition of the destruction of many of the very records that we so treasure today.
I have been privy to several communications via email, telephone, and social media and in response to the Letter to the Editor submitted by FOSTPL and published in both online and print news. One person in particular is mentioned more than most, and that is the late June A. V. Lindqvist. I saw a copy of the actual bill honoring Lindqvist (20th Legislature); I found it quite instructional as I met her but had no
idea how much devotion she had given to the people of the U.S. Virgin Islands.
I am certain that if it were not for June Lindqvist, many of the precious treasures that exist in the Von Scholten Collection would not exist, as she took it upon herself to raise $10,000 to replace damaged microfilms – in 1986, a tidy sum! She found the time to educate herself and set a sterling example of scholarly endeavor in pursuit of a goal. She even stood in solid opposition of the destruction of many of the very records that we so treasure today.
I have asked the Senate President and sponsors of the proposed bill to examine the work of their predecessors in the 20th Legislature, Resolution 1520, Bill No. 20-0374 as they collectively consider the name for the new library.
When the St. Thomas Regional Library debuts, it will open its arms to youngsters and also adults, some of whom I have spoken with, whose eyes sparkle as they recall the crisply efficient yet warm June A. V. Lindqvist as she walked the stacks. Her name on that library will be a satisfying tribute to someone who is as much as part of the new library’s foundation as if she had presided over the groundbreaking.
When the St. Thomas Regional Library debuts, it will open its arms to youngsters and also adults, some of whom I have spoken with, whose eyes sparkle as they recall the crisply efficient yet warm June A. V. Lindqvist as she walked the stacks. Her name on that library will be a satisfying tribute to someone who is as much as part of the new library’s foundation as if she had presided over the groundbreaking.
Anita Davis
St. Thomas, V.I.
St. Thomas, V.I.