ST. PAUL – The St. Paul Municipal Library hummed with anticipation as residents trickled in to witness a special event on April 18. A buzz of conversations filled the air, along with smiles as people greeted one another.
Then they turned their attention to Ellen Reid, the Friends of the Library Society’s chair, who spoke about the reason for the gathering – a plaque unveiling honouring Irene VanBrabant, a long-time supporter of the library who passed away last year.
Irene is among the Friend of the Library’s founders and its first president.
Reid described Irene as a whirlwind of energy who made many great contributions to the library, including helping raise funds for the building itself.
Prior to the early 1990s, the library was situated in the basement of the town hall. In 1994, the society's committee achieved its goal of raising $150,000 for the library's new building.
That same year, according to information from the society, Irene spoke to the St. Paul Journal, saying at the time, “I was never a librarian but I helped build one.”
She then added, “I figured that if I wasn’t going to work in one, I could at least help get one.”
The VanBrabant family, including Irene’s husband, Guy, and her children Diane and Réal, watched on Wednesday as a plaque, which bore Irene’s name, was hammered in place – meant as a constant reminder of the work Irene put into the library.
After the plaque unveiling, Diane spoke to Lakeland This Week, expressing her pride for her mother. Diane recounted memories of many meetings of fundraiser efforts for the library held in their family home when she was younger.
"She worked so hard,” said Diane.
When Diane was in high school, she worked at the library when it was still in the basement of the town hall. She helped her mother raise funds for the library with her friends, who worked around two to four bingos a month, for example.
“It was very difficult to say no to Mom,” she said. “It wasn’t really an option for me, but my friends all knew that... I’m not going to lie, I’ve probably resented it a couple of times,” Diane added, with a laugh.
Coming back to witness what her mother helped build was a proud moment for Diane.
“We’d wanted Mom to be recognized for quite some time... She wasn’t seeking [recognition].”
Diane expressed her appreciation for everyone who remembered her mother and helped make the recognition happen. "We really appreciate that," she said. "This is really important to Dad... for Mom to be recognized."
Eunhye Cho, the St. Paul Municipal Library manager, said that while she did not know Irene personally, she admired Irene’s legacy. Cho recalled that when Irene passed away last year, the library board discussed a way to honour Irene by creating “something permanent,” resulting in the plaque.
Cho also thanked the Friends of the Library Society for their non-stop support, explaining that over half of donations toward the library comes from them.
“Without them. We wouldn’t be able to operate.”
