Saying goodbye to two fantastic Library Volunteers

Sadie and Tom Mann

For the past 20 years, Sadie and Tom Mann have been two of the most dedicated, long-term volunteers at the Capitan Public Library.

Sadie Mann has been the treasurer for the Friends of the Library Advisory Board for all those years. For many years, Sadie worked hand-in-hand with Gene Chewning (sadly, we lost Gene in 2017) in guiding the library finances, which is of the utmost importance being a self-funding non-profit library in the state of New Mexico.

In 2009, Tom Mann was awarded the Amigo Award from the New Mexico Library Association for the following:

"The Capitan Public Library, an all-volunteer and private institution, has been raising money for a building expansion for several years.  Mann, a member of the Capitan Library Advisory Board and a retired engineer was critical to this project.  When the funding was secured, Mann worked with the architect to calculate a budget and shape the project to comply with codes and ordinances.  Tom gave up his personal life for a year, spending long days at the construction site.  He did all of this without receiving any payment for his time, effort, and expertise.  The community now enjoys a beautiful 2400 square foot addition to the library, thanks in no small part to the ongoing efforts of Tom Mann."

Of course, for the past 8 years, patrons have been greeted at the library every Tuesday morning by Tom and his cohort, Debbie Myers.

This library, its volunteers and the public will miss these two dedicated souls as they set off to pursue a different dream at this time in their life.