The Gertrude P. Smith Award will be presented by the Trustees of Forbes Library to Stan Sherer and Joe Twarog on Thursday, June 13, 2024 at 6:30 P.M. The event will take place in the Coolidge Museum on the second floor of the Forbes Library followed by a reception in the Hosmer Gallery. The program will include a brief presentation featuring Stan’s photography and documentary work along with readings from banned books, to honor Joe’s advocacy for intellectual freedom. A retrospective show of Stan’s work will be on view in the adjacent gallery as well. The public is cordially invited to attend.
“We have two very special people with deep connections to Forbes to honor this year. Joe continuously prioritized social justice during his years of service on our board including a deep commitment to intellectual freedom. Stan’s connection to Forbes is decades long including his documentary work about the library and another film about Calvin Coolidge, whose presidential museum and library is housed on the library’s second floor,” Lisa Downing, Library Director.
Established to recognize community members who have given exceptional volunteer service to Forbes Library, the award is named after Gertrude P. Smith who was the first recipient in 1982. Ms. Smith founded the Friends of Forbes Library in 1980 to help raise money and to publicize the services of the library, a thriving organization to this day.