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Marlborough – For decades, Philomena “Mena” Hedin was a fixture at the Marlborough Public Library, joyfully reading stories to generations of children in the Children’s Room and happily assisting adults at the Circulation Desk. Now, her dedication to the library and its patrons will be memorialized, thanks to a generous donation to the Marlborough Public Library Foundation from Marlborough Nissan owner Jeff Batta.
“Mena was a very warm and loving woman,” recalled Library Director Margaret Cardello. “Many parents bringing their children to Story Time over the years would reminisce about Mena reading to them when they were young. She was a very special person.”
Hedin’s son, Daniel Hedin, is the General Manager of Marlborough Nissan. When Batta learned that Mena Hedin had passed away, he contacted the Marlborough Public Library Foundation to discuss how he could honor the Hedin family by supporting the capital campaign for the library renovation and expansion project. After conferring with Foundation Chair Nena Bloomquist, Batta knew naming the Children’s Service Desk for Hedin would be the perfect tribute.
“The library meant the world to Mena and it is fitting that the Children’s Service Desk in the new facility will bear her name,” Batta said. “I also recognize that the library plays an incredibly important role in this city, which our business has served for 26 years. I am pleased that Marlborough Nissan is able honor Mena by supporting the institution that she cared about so much.”
“Having to say goodbye to a loved one is the hardest thing in life and losing our beloved mother to this awful virus, and not being able to have proper services, is indescribable.” said Daniel Hedin. “Knowing that the donation by Marlboro Nissan – Jeff Batta, George Albrecht and George Albrecht Jr. – will keep the memory of Mena at the library, the place she loved, is such a remarkable thing for them to do.”
A ‘poignant memorial’
The Children’s Service Desk is an especially poignant memorial, Hedin said, recalling that the thought of retirement once brought his mother to tears as she thought about not being able to continue reading to the next generation of children in Marlborough.
“We are so grateful for this donation by Marlborough Nissan, which truly reaffirms their commitment to our city. It is such a wonderful way to honor not just Mena’s service, but also her belief that a public library can enrich and improve the lives of people of all ages,” Bloomquist said.
A library for future generations
The city is investing in the future of Marlborough by creating an expanded and updated 21st century library that will retain the beautiful historic elements of the current building while meeting the needs of the residents for years to come. In July 2018 Marlborough was offered a $10,186,626 construction grant from the Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners to be used to address many of the challenges that exist with the current facility.
The Marlborough Public Library Foundation, a 501c(3) charitable organization, was established in 2002 to support library services and programs and to raise funds for capital improvements. The Foundation’s current capital campaign has a goal of $2 million to support the library building project.
Bloomquist noted that a variety of naming opportunities are still available in the new facility at a wide range of donation levels, and contributions can be spread out across several years if desired. She encouraged both businesses and citizens to learn more about how they can support the capital campaign with a donation that honors special people in their own lives or simply as a way to recognize the importance of the MPL in the city. For more information on how to support the Foundation, contact [email protected]
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