Wellesley’s Mary Ann Cluggish recently was given a stylish send-off at her last meeting as a commissioner for the Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners (MBLC). She served in the governor-appointed position for 12 years.
Cluggish received citations from the legislature, and a got a surprise visit from Blades, the Boston Bruins hockey team mascot, who dropped by to share a professionally done montage of photos of Cluggish in action at Bruins Summer Reading and other events.
Cluggish, who recently shared observations at Wellesley Free Library regarding book bans locally and across the country, is really a thing at our local libraries. A plaque honoring her at the Library of Things on the first floor at the main branch verifies that.
Local foundation
Cluggish’s volunteer work for the state was built on a foundation of local library support. She served 12 years as a Library Trustee in Wellesley and helped gain Town Meeting support for the “new” library that opened in 2003. She really got the job done, too, by serving as Board chair during construction.
“Janice Coduri, the Library Director at the time, said, ‘You’re a big picture person, you might like serving on the MBLC’.” Cluggish was first appointed by Gov. Deval Patrick, then reappointed twice by Gov. Charlie Baker.
“Due to various circumstances that arose, I’m pretty sure I got to serve as Chair for more years than anyone deserved. I was able to gain considerable insight into the workings of the agency, watch how truly dedicated the staff is, and came to appreciate the important work the MBLC has been doing for over 130 years.”
Two passions for Cluggish were the construction program and Summer Reading events. “I served on the ‘Construction team’ and feel lucky to have been able to speak at about two dozen library groundbreakings and dedications across the state, events so memorable that I remember specific details of each one.”
The MBLC partners with the Boston Bruins organization, which helps to underwrite Summer Reading events across the state. “Lauren Baker, who was the Massachusetts First Lady for 8 years, also loved Summer Reading events. She and Blades, the Bruins mascot, developed an entertaining routine for reading to kids. It was great fun working with Lauren Baker and the Bruins and seeing those little kids take so much pride in their reading.”
Cluggish says: “I’ve served on a lot of local boards, and had some interesting jobs in the corporate sector. But serving on the MBLC meant working with the most dedicated, talented and the most genuinely kind staff I have ever come across.”
The Wellesley resident says she’s not going “cold turkey” as far as the MBLC goes. “I’ll still be a member of the MBLC Statewide PR Committee and the Mass Library Association Legislative Committee, and this summer, maybe I’ll even pop up at a Summer Reading event simply for the fun of it. I’ll still be active in working on Intellectual Freedom and bills in the Legislature.”
Joining Kiwanis
Cluggish muse Coduri has also asked her to join Wellesley Kiwanis, the service organization known for its work on the holiday Red Kettle drive, support for the High School’s Key Club, and more. Cluggish is now on the board.
“I am very excited about Kiwanis’ newest initiative called Thrive Wellesley being organized by a fellow board member, Gary McCabe. It will be launched this year in partnership with The Resilience Project at Newton-Wellesley Hospital as a workshop series empowering Wellesley families with the knowledge, skills and community support for positive mental health and meaningful connections within their families.”
The Community Fund of Wellesley awarded Kiwanis a grant for the project, which has been a post-pandemic goal for the organization. “It is a timely and strong fit with the Kiwanis ‘Children are Priority One’ mission,” Cluggish says. “I am very supportive of this initiative and plan to help out where I can.”
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