Skowhegan Woman’s Club held a donation ceremony Oct. 4 at Skowhegan Free Public Library. From left are club President Bonnie Chamberlain, ESO Reading Group Chair Kathy Kahler and Director of Skowhegan Free Public Library Angie Herrick. Present at ceremony, but absent from photo, was Mary Cayford, who presented a book in memory of Judith McCarthy. Submitted photo
Members of the GFWC (General Federation of Women’s Clubs) Skowhegan Woman’s Club, President Bonnie Chamberlain, Reading Group Chair Kathy Kahler and board member Mary Cayford met with Skowhegan Free Public Library Director Angie Herrick Oct. 4 at the library to read dedications and to donate books in memory of past members.
The following women club members are appreciated for their lifelong contributions to the community, according to a news release from Cayford.
• Darla (Gilbert) Pickett (1945-2021) was an avid reader, writer, journalist, member of the Skowhegan Board of Selectmen, Lakewood Theater actor, and president of Friends of the Library. As a community leader and a Waterville Morning Sentinel newspaper reporter, she was honored with many awards over the years, including Woman of the Year and the Skowhegan Area Chamber of Commerce Alton W. Whittemore Award.
She had expressed the wish that her family and friends should read about love, friendship and kindness in the book “The Boy, the Mole, the Fox, The Horse” by Charlie Mackesy.
• An active member and leader in many organizations, including Skowhegan Woman’s Club and All Saints’ Episcopal Church, Virginia (Whittle) Jordan (1926-2022) offered devotions and prayers during club meetings and church services for decades. She had earned her doctorate in nutrition and worked to help young families provide for their children by working with the WIC (Women, Infants and Children) program. Jordan promoted nursery and preschool education even into her 90s.
Thinking of her more than 50 years of dedication and leadership in the club, members chose “To Bless the Space Between Us, A Book of Blessings” by John O’Donohue to honor her memory.
• Judith (Eaton) McCarthy (1937-2022) was a teacher who loved Maine and encouraged her fifth-grade students to read a wide variety of authors. With a wealth of interests, abilities and talents, she continued to be involved in civic organizations and church activities, including as president of the Somerset Retired Teachers’ Association and Kappa Delta Gamma, a member of the Riverside Bell Ringers of the Federated Church, a volunteer at Skowhegan History House, and Skowhegan Heritage Council in retirement.
The book honoring her memory is “A Place Called Maine, 24 Authors on the Maine Experience,” edited by Wesley McNair.
Area women (not limited to Skowhegan residents) interested in learning more about the Skowhegan Woman’s Club or attending a club meeting can call President Bonnie Chamberlain at 207-474-3146 or member Mary Cayford at 207-474-9820.
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