Ron Robinson and Leo Robinson, co-directors of the Lewis Latimer Society, have announced that the Latimer Collection will be unveiled on Tuesday, June 23 at 6 p.m. at the Chelsea Public Library.
Ron said the Latimer Society, which honors the outstanding contributions by esteemed inventor Lewis Howard Latimer who was born in Chelsea, received a grant from the Chelsea Community Preservation Committee to help fund the project.
The Robinsons credited Library Director Lisa Mucciarone and Library Assistant Amanda Arsenault for their full support of the event and for hosting the Latimer Collection at one of the city’s greatest educational treasures, the Chelsea Public Library.
“We’re grateful to the Library for agreeing to host this permanent exhibit about Lewis Latimer,” said Ron Robinson. “There will be a large case with a lot of Lewis Latimer’s personal artifacts and science papers.”
Arsenault said the Library is excited to be part of the Latimer Collection project.
“We’re very happy that they’re donating the case and the artifacts to us, and we’re honored to house it here and to have representation of all communities in our library focusing on culture and history which are really important to the Library,” said Arsenault. “It’s vital to recognize our local history that could potentially get lost as time goes on, so preserving that history is really important to us here at the Library.”
Arsenault said the Latimer Collection glass case (which is close to seven feet in height) will be situated in the CPL’s reference room.
Speaking from his platform as a councilor-at-large and dean of city government, Leo Robinson said, “I think this collection and its permanent location in our library is important to our city’s history. It’s something that we don’t really take to heart, but I think this will hopefully energize people that want to learn more about Chelsea history.”
Robinson said there have been discussions with City Manager Fidel Maltez and District 1 Councilor Todd Taylor about creating a Chelsea museum of history.
The Society will be distributing Lewis Latimer tribute T-shirts to the first 25 guests who arrive for the reception and refreshments will be served.
Arsenault noted that the CPL will be closed for library business on June 23, so guests attending the reception should enter the library from the side door on Marlborough Street.