Paul Whitney (City Librarian), Todd Wong, and Joan Andersen (VPL Board Chair), after the presentation of 25 year and 30 year service pins at a Vancouver Public Library Board meeting. You can see the gold pin with a tiny diamond in my left lapel. Cool! - photo Deb Martin.
25 and 30 year service pins were handed out tonight at the VPL board meeting tonight.
VPL Chair, Joan Andersen, invited each of the 20 library employees up, while she read short biographies of each of them. It was great to listen to each biography, because they were personalized not only with the locations of our work history, but also with our life interests and community work.
There was my friend Bob Flesher, with whom I used to work on the library delivery truck (Fridays were "hat day"); Susan Bridgman and Nanita Evans, with whom I first worked at Joe Fortes Library 25 years ago. Judi Walker and Jane White are branch head librarians. Susan Pendakur in Computer Systems, Jennifer Haines at Kensington Branch. And so many more friends I have made over the years...Wow!
I can't believe that I have worked at the Vancouver Public Library for 30 years.
I like to say I started inutero, because my mother was working at the Vancouver Public Library while she was pregnant with me. I actually started when I was still 15 years old while in highschool.
"Todd started part-time as an Library Assistant 1, and have risen to become a Library Assistant III," stated Library Board Chair Joan Andersen. "He is also known for much of my community work such as working to help save the Joy Kogawa House, as well as Gung Haggis Fat Choy, a combination Robbie Burns and Chinese New Year Dinner - which now has served 600 people" (and which featured CBC Radio host Shelagh Rogers as co-host at the 2005 dinner).
"And has become an annual event at the library as the "Gung Haggis Fat Choy World Poetry Night," I added.
"Thank you for your service to the library, and for what you do in the community," concluded Joan.
I first met Joan Andersen, in her capacity as CBC Radio regional director English Language, through some of my activities with CBC Radio. She is a wonderful chair for the library, and receives many compliments. She actually used to be a librarian, before she did a graduate degree in Human Resources and worked for the CBC.
Paul Whitney is City Librarian, whom I first met back in the 1980's through a mutual friend, Susan Bridgman, who also recieved her 30 year pin tonight. Paul was formerly director of the Burnaby Public Library up until a few years ago. He does amazing advocacy work on behalf of libraries. I am proud to know them both.
