COLRAIN — More than 100 residents braved scorching temperatures Saturday to celebrate the retirement of longtime librarian Betty Purington Johnson, gathering at the Arthur A. Smith covered bridge for a potluck lunch.
Also at the party was state Rep. Paul Mark, D-Peru, who presented Johnson with an official proclamation recognizing her “dedicated service,” Griswold Memorial Library Trustee Cheli Mennella said. The board of trustees also named a library collection “The Betty Purington Johnson Library of Things.”
Johnson, 66, described the party as “marvelous.”
“It was so much fun to see everybody,” she said. “There were tables and twinkly lights. Someone made beautiful bouquets, everybody brought food. They had lemonade and water. It was surprisingly comfortable on the bridge.”
Johnson became librarian for Griswold Memorial Library 26 years ago, ending her tenure in June.
Before becoming librarian, Johnson said she worked in Colrain at the former Kendall Mills factory. The factory manufactured surgical sponges, cotton balls, bandage rolls and bleached cotton for tampons, she said. Johnson worked on the floor for five years in the 1970s, running a few sponge-making machines. She recalled her factory job fondly, due partly to her co-workers.
“It was a great group of people that worked there, there was a lot of camaraderie,” Johnson said.
Kendall Mills sold its factory in 1986, resident Belden Merims’ wrote on the town’s 250th anniversary webpage. At its height, the factory employed 500 men and women, he said.
“It was a major loss for the town,” Johnson said of Kendall Mills’ closure.
The factory has since changed hands several times, Merims said. It is now a cotton bleaching factory, owned by Barnhardt Manufacturing, and employs 50 workers.
After spending a year working at a Greenfield factory, in 1979 Johnson returned to Kendall Mills as an accountant.
“I loved it,” Johnson said. “Math is my favorite subject.”
Five years later, in 1985, Johnson became pregnant and went on maternity leave. In that time, her job was eliminated at Kendall Mills and she became a stay-at-home mother.
In 1989, Johnson joined the library’s board of trustees, leading her to the librarian role a few years later. The three-afternoon-a-week schedule suited Johnson, she said, permitting her to spend time with her children. The library was also open on Saturdays, though she did not work that day.
During her time as librarian, Johnson introduced a variety of programs, including a book club, a preschool story hour, and adult and children’s craft groups.
Johnson also served on several state bodies while she was Colrain’s librarian, including the Massachusetts Library System Executive Board and the Western Massachusetts Library Advocates. As a member of these groups, Johnson would meet with state legislators and advocate for library funding, she said.
Asked what she will miss most about serving as Colrain’s librarian, Johnson said simply, “the people.”
“Some of the library patrons I’ve known since they were born,” Johnson said.
While Johnson is looking forward to spending her retirement quilting and traveling (a cruise on western Europe’s Rhine River is planned for next year), she admitted it has been tough to leave her post as town librarian.
“I’m definitely having a hard time letting go,” Johnson said. “I’m going to miss their smiling faces, seeing different people come in.”
Reach Grace Bird at gbird@recorder.com or 413-772-0261, ext. 280.