LEGISLATIVE RESOLUTION honoring Director Stanley A. Ransom upon the
occasion of his retirement from the Plattsburgh Public Library

WHEREAS, It is the sense of this Legislative Body to recognize and honor
those distinguished citizens of this great Empire State who have devoted
themselves to faithfully serving the best interests of their community
and the needs of its residents; and
WHEREAS, Attendant to such concern, and in full accord with its long-
standing traditions, it is the sense of this Legislative Body to honor
Director Stanley A. Ransom upon the occasion of his retirement from the
Plattsburgh Public Library, to be celebrated at a reception on Sunday,
May 20, 2012; and
WHEREAS, Since 2007, Stanley Ransom has served as the Plattsburgh
Public Library Director; Stanley Ransom officially retires on Thursday,
May 31, 2012; and
WHEREAS, Since 1951, Stanley Ransom has been a resident of New York
State after graduating from Yale University in Connecticut and then
moving to New York City in order to attend the Columbia Graduate School
of Library Service; and
WHEREAS, From 1953-1956, Stanley Ransom served as a Professional
Library Intern at New York Public Research Libraries; he then went to
the Huntington Public Library, serving as Assistant Director from 1956-
1958, and then as Director from 1958-1974; and
WHEREAS, During the 1960s, Stanley Ransom worked as Secretary of
Committee to establish the Suffolk Cooperative Library System, with the
Huntington and Patchogue Libraries serving as co-central libraries; he
also worked on the committee to establish the Long Island Library Refer-
ence and Research Resources Council (LILRC), which linked together the
libraries in businesses, colleges, and research institutions; and
WHEREAS, While at Huntington Library, Stanley Ransom researched the
life of 18th century Huntington slave-poet, Jupiter Hammon; Jupiter
Hammon was the first African-American poet to publish his own verse, and
lived most of his life in the Lloyd Neck area of Huntington, Long
Island; Jupiter Hammon learned how to read and was allowed to use his
master's library, and on Christmas Day, 1760, he published his first
poem, "An Evening Thought", and later went on to publish other poems and
a number of prose pieces as well; and
WHEREAS, In May of 1970, Stanley Ransom's book, AMERICA'S FIRST NEGRO
POET; JUPITER HAMMON OF LONG ISLAND, was published by Kennikat Press;
the second edition was published in 1983 by Associated Faculty Press;
and
WHEREAS, Stanley Ransom received the Brotherhood Award from Jewish War
Veterans and a Certificate of Commendation by the American Association
for State and Local History for his book on Jupiter Hammon; because he
was concerned that there were no existing celebrations to honor the
contributions African-Americans had made to American life and culture,
Black Poetry Day was first proposed in 1970 by Stanley Ransom; present-
ly, there is a yearly National observance of this special day on October
17th, the birth date in 1711 of Jupiter Hammon; and
WHEREAS, In September of 1974, Stanley Ransom accepted the position as
Director of the Clinton-Essex-Franklin Library System in Plattsburgh;
upon his relocation, he brought Black Poetry Day with him as it is cele-
brated throughout New York State; and
WHEREAS, Having been at the forefront of other Black Poetry Day cele-
brations, Stanley Ransom began the invitation of guest poets to read and
meet with students at SUNY-Plattsburgh; in 1985, African-American poet
Gwendolyn Brooks spoke at SUNY-Plattsburgh in honor of Jupiter Hammon's

contribution to American culture; other notable poets who have visited
in the past for Black Poetry Day, include Nikki Giovanni, Lucille Clif-
ton, Ntozake Shange, Derek Walcott, Michael Harper, and Jusef Komunya-
kaa, to name a few; and
WHEREAS, Following his 17 years as a System Director, Stanley Ransom
retired for 16 years in order to pursue his love of folk music, specif-
ically the folk music of New York State; a musician, he collected the
traditional music of Long Island while he was in Huntington and later
converted his research into CDs; his first recording in 1991, was a
cassette of Plattsburgh interest, called "Down the Saranac," followed by
"Adirondack Sampler"; and
WHEREAS, Stanley Ransom is active in many organizations, including the
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Commission celebrations, the Champlain
Valley Transportation Museum, the Adirondack Coast Cultural Alliance,
which was formed to celebrate Museum Week and Weekend, along with the
Plattsburgh Rotary Club; and
WHEREAS, Vice-President of the Valcour Battle Chapter of the Sons of
the American Revolution, Stanley Ransom is a recipient of many honors
and awards, such as: the Velma K. Moore Award, given by the New York
State Association of Library Boards; the Outstanding Services to
Libraries Award given by The New York Library Association; the 2010
Community Services Award given by the Red Hummingbird Foundation; and
the 2006 Award of Merit by the American Association for State and Local
History, among others; and
WHEREAS, With him throughout has been his wife, Christina, who feels
privileged to be a part of his life and rejoices in his achievements;
and
WHEREAS, A true asset to society, Stanley Ransom's distinguished
record merits the recognition and respectful tribute of this Legislative
Body; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That this Legislative Body pause in its deliberations to
honor Director Stanley A. Ransom upon the occasion of his retirement
from the Plattsburgh Public Library; and be it further
RESOLVED, That a copy of this Resolution, suitably engrossed, be tran-
smitted to Stanley A. Ransom.