Legacy for Literacy Gala to Honor Gov. Tom Kean

Caldwell Mayor Ann Dassing and former Mayor Susan Gartland are co-hosting a non-partisan fundraiser for the Caldwell Public Library next month.

The first annual Legacy for Literacy gala on Thursday, Nov. 15, will honor Former New Jersey Governor and Immediate Past Chairman of the Carnegie Corporation Thomas H. Kean. Former N.J. Governor and Sen. Richard Codey will present the award.

“Sen. Codey has said Gov. Kean and he served many years together and he considers him a mentor and a friend. He is very pleased to be able to present this award to him,” Gartland stated in a release.

Between 1883 and 1929, 2,509 Carnegie libraries were funded by Carnegie, including the Caldwell Library.

Proceeds from the gala will help supplement the Caldwell Library’s increasingly tight budget.

“I believe it is our duty to reach out across party lines, and to everyone who has ever had a dream fulfilled through hard work, study and diligence,” stated Dassing. “What better place to support than our library, especially during these difficult economic times.

“Today, the Caldwell Public Library is a place to go online and search for jobs, take your children to story time, rent a movie or borrow a book, or visit an art exhibition. We are thrilled that both Gov. Kean and Codey will join us in this effort to support this tiny gem in our community.”

As governor, Kean was rated among America’s most effective state leaders by Newsweek; noted for tax cuts that spurred 750,000 new jobs; a federally replicated welfare reform program; landmark environmental policies; and more than 30 education reforms. He delivered the keynote address at the 1988 Republican National Convention. 

He later served as president of Drew University from 1990 until 2005 and was named by President George W. Bush to head the National Commission on Terrorist Attacks upon the United States. The Commission’s work culminated in July 2004 with the release of the 9/11 Commission Report.

Kean currently serves as chairman of the board of The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, the nation’s largest health philanthropy. 

The Legacy for Literacy Gala will take place on Thursday, Nov. 15, at the Green Brook Country Club, at Green Brook Road, North Caldwell. Tickets are tax-deductible, and cost $90 per person, which includes entertainment, appetizers, dinner, dessert, beer, wine and valet parking. An ad journal will be published. For more information or to register for the event or purchase an ad, call 973-403-0032 or visit www.caldwellpl.org.