Remarks of George Comeau

I am quoting Franklin Delano Roosevelt and his dedication speech in 1941 at the opening of his Presidential Library at Hyde Park, New York:

It seems to me that the dedication of a library is in itself an act of faith. To bring together the records of the past and to house them in buildings where they will be preserved for the use of men and women in the future, a Nation must believe in three things.
It must believe in the past.
It must believe in the future.
It must, above all, believe in the capacity of its own people so to learn from the past that they can gain in judgment in creating their own future.

These fine words are apt prose for our ceremony today. In this building we stand in the spirit of all of the generations of people who have lived here over the past 300 years. The names that are memorialized in the frieze of this great hall are just a few of the families that have called this community their home. We believe in our past. Indeed, in this building we have preserved the best aspects of our original building constructed in 1902 by Augustus Hemenway for the people of Canton. We have preserved this tremendous glass dome; we have restored our original reading rooms to the grandeur of the turn of the century. We have created a link between our history and our community of today. In doing so we have said to future generations that look back upon this new addition that knowledge and learning are as important to us in the year 2003 as these ideals were in 1902.

I really love all of the symbolism in the old building that in some respect allowed us to appreciate the building and work to preserve all that is historic and architecturally significant. It is entirely possible that Augustus Hemenway and the architects of the original building were wholly aware of the power of drawing upon history as an influence. In 39BC Rome’s first public library was built, and following the wishes of Caesar they built a library with two reading rooms – one for Greek books and another for Latin. This was the pattern that all subsequent Roman libraries would take. Our historic building is heavily influenced in the Roman and Greek styles, from the stone columns at the entrance to the soaring dome and the pair of reading rooms now with working fireplaces.

It is likely that this is the very first time that this building has been dedicated. History does not record a previous event such as this. Today, we are fortunate to have John and Augustus Hemenway the grandsons of our benefactor, here with us today. The Hemenway Family has a long tradition of preservation and civic improvement. Not only here but in Boston, Cambridge and the State of Vermont. In fact, our great benefactor’s mother’s portrait is alongside her son. Mary Hemenway helped save the Old South Meetinghouse from probable destruction and set the tone for public betterments through the Hemenway family name. We honor the Hemenway’s; the reading room to the left of me will be formally named for Augustus Hemenway. And the reading room to the right will be named for Harriet Hemenway, one of the founders of the Massachusetts Audubon Society.

We believe in the future. We have created a space for future generations to gather and promote their ideas in a setting that is both beautiful and useful. There are many symbols in this building that we have created or restored that will help future members of our community understand who we are and what we valued. The nine solid columns represent the nine trustees that serve as stewards of the library. The copper pinecone atop the dome representing hope, renewal and vigor. The new entrance and colonnade provides access and light for all who enter this space. The marble and granite are materials of strength and craftsmanship. In the children’s library we have represented nature and open space and a connection to the wildlife of our region.

Here is a building that firmly stands for the capacity of its own people. The people of Canton by their support for this project, by their patience for its completion and by their steadfast determination to have a new library have produced perhaps one of the finest libraries in the Commonwealth. We have put our faith in learning and in our youth; in our town we value literature, music and the fine arts. Who will be influenced by this new library, a Nobel Prize Winner? A Great Composer, A Poet Laureate, An Astronaut, A Doctor, or a Great Painter? To be sure here is a building that will support great ideas and boundless curiosities.

Over the past few weeks we began completing the final stages of this building. The painter, the plasterers, the electricians all started to wrap up this project. We moved in the books, hung the paintings, assembled furniture and installed the computers. Today we are completing the library by opening its doors and filling it with the people who have endowed this project with their wisdom, wealth and work. The mere brick and mortar has been transformed by citizens; by the staff, patrons and community that have created this space and call it their own. And so today is the first day of the next 100 years of service for this building, it is a fine building and worthy of our town. Thank you for allowing me to be a part of this project and I hope that you enjoy your new library.