Date: Fri 10-Oct-1997

Publication: Bee

Author: DOTTIE

Quick Words:

Booth-Library-McEvoy-Hudiakoff

Full Text:

Finishing Touches: Cabinetmaker Uses `Hudiakoff Wood' In Library Circulation

Desk

BY DOROTHY EVANS

When three large trees were felled behind the Cyrenius H. Booth Library on

March 25, 1996, to make room for the new addition, there was a loud outcry

from residents who hated to see them go down.

The two biggest were sugar maples 50 and 75 feet high, each boasting a full

canopy of leaves to shade the parking lot and frame the view out back to the

open field.

The third tree, an English horse chestnut, had been planted at least 25 years

ago as a young sapling sometime toward the end of the 20-year period that

Sarah Mitchell was head librarian at the Booth Library.

It was given to the library just prior to Ms Mitchell's retirement in 1971 by

Russian artist Andrei Hudiakoff.

Mr Hudiakoff was a longtime resident of Newtown, who lived with his wife,

Doris, on Pocono Road. Also a dedicated gardener, he had transplanted the

young chestnut tree by himself, after selecting it from several others he had

been tending on his property, the offshoots of a mature horse chestnut that

was growing nearby.

When the tree was planted, Sarah Mitchell commented on its small size saying

she didn't ever expect to be able to sit in its shade.

Yet by 1996 when the horse chestnut was cut down, it had grown to 35 feet and

its leaves cast a respectable shadow.

One consolation for those who loved the trees was the vision of a new library

addition soon to fill that space. They also shared a conviction that in

response to the town's burgeoning growth, an expanded, updated library

facility was absolutely necessary.

The new Cyrenius H. Booth Library would be something the whole town could take

pride in. It would be a resource for Newtowners present and future.

Still, they hated to see Mr Hudiakoff's tree sacrificed to progress. They

hoped a part of it could somehow be salvaged and used to benefit the library

project.

Artistry In Wood

Several community members stepped forward in succession to help make this wish

come true.

By overseeing the cutting process, as well as the preparation, drying and

storing of the wood, they were able to hand the next stage over to Gregory

McAvoy, a skilled cabinetmaker and 20-year Newtown resident.

When Mr McAvoy agreed to accept the circulation desk commission, he also

agreed to try to incorporate as much of the wood into the desk as possible.

After months of preliminary planning in consultation with the Booth

librarians, including Beryl Harrison, and the library board's Long Range

Planning Committee member, Kathy Geckle, Mr McAvoy began working in his

Hundred Acres Road workshop.

On October 2, he assembled the desk in its final form, a completely new design

from what library patrons may remember in the old library.

"Beryl helped me with the idea for the handicapped access bench at one end,

also with the book drop. She knows what they need," Mr McAvoy said.

Another task was to incorporate grommets and grooves into the top surface to

accommodate computer wires, also a project undertaken in consultation with Mrs

Harrison.

The various sections of the 30-foot desk were constructed in stages over

several months. After assembly last weekend, several finishing coats were then

laid on.

Mr McAvoy said he used as much wood from the maples and the horse chestnut as

possible, though it had been difficult to salvage pieces that were large

enough to complete the massive project.

The four pillars alone each measured 12x12x53 inches and were made of wood to

completely enclose the supporting steel posts on all four sides.

"When necessary, I used wood from other sources to finish the job," Mr McAvoy

said.

The maple went into the wainscoting and a file drawer, and the horse chestnut

was used for inlays, he said.

"They're all in there - at least in spirit if not totally in fact."

"When people ask me what this desk is made of, I say `Hudiakoff wood.' Not

because there is such a lot of the chestnut in the desk itself, but because

the spirit behind the artist's gift will live on in its new form," Mr McAvoy

said.

The Hudiakoff Connection

By a strange coincidence, it turns out that Mr McAvoy once knew Mr Hudiakoff.

At least, he knew of him, having met the artist long before the horse chestnut

was cut down.

Mr McAvoy's good friend, Jim Omalyev, a graphic artist, had been working for

Mr Hudiakoff on commission to help complete a painting job on the inside dome

of a basilica.

"Once or twice I dropped Jim off at Mr Hudiakoff's house," Mr McAvoy said,

adding he might have shaken the Russian artist's hand once or twice.

Little did he know then that his friend, Mr Omalyev, would eventually die of

brain cancer, or that a tree growing in Mr Hudiakoff's garden would provide

wood for a circulation desk he'd be building for the new Cyrenius H. Booth

Library in 1997.

"I thought it was an interesting connection," Mr McAvoy said.

Mr McAvoy specializes in custom woodworking and furniture design, as well as

in restorations and reproductions that feature period detailing.

Although he had presented the library's Long Range Planning Committee with an

estimated bill for completion of the circulation desk project, Mr McAvoy said

he was glad to contribute extra hours beyond the basic estimate to complete

the work in the best manner possible.

It turned out to be a time-consuming project, he said, but he didn't begrudge

the extra effort it took.

"I believe that a library means more to a town than just a place to check out

books," Mr McAvoy said.

"It's as important as a school or a town hall. People use a library for many

reasons. You can't always put a dollar and cents value on that."