Gear-ing up for donation
Published on November 19th, 2003
STONEHAM, MA - Students in three of Stoneham's schools will find themselves solving whodunit mysteries for years thanks to the relatives of a Pittsburgh grandfather who spent his entire life reading and publishing books.
Joined by her husband, three children, and a pile of mystery books at the town's middle school last Friday morning, Stoneham resident Jennifer Gear presented the last of three $500 checks to the town's school system in memory of her father, Frederick A. Hetzel.
Explaining that her father was the publisher of the Pittsburgh University Press for over 30 years, Gear told Central School librarian Lucille Beeth, South School librarian Kathy Plati, and middle school librarian Michael Sheedy that the money couldn't have gone to a better cause.
"I was up one night right after my father died and I wanted to do something to keep his memory alive in Stoneham. I said to myself, 'wouldn't it be wonderful to buy some books in his name during these difficult fiscal times'...I thought, what better way to remember him than to spread his passion through his grandchildren," recalled Gear, who donated the money in the names of her children.
Pointing to the stack of new mystery arrivals purchased through the donation, which included titles such as "The Secret Lives of Sharks", "Unsolved UFO Mysteries", and "Crime Scene Whodunits", Sheedy looks at the shiny new books as a way to excite the imagination of many students lacking an enthusiasm for reading.
"Outside of the emotional connection, it's great to have another hook for the kids. Mysteries I think have a universal appeal, especially for adolescents...If I was a student who came down to do some window shopping, these just look neat," the librarian remarked.
"We all know how tough it is to get the kids to read. We used to joke about the library as a place where books can be seen but not touched. We look at our jobs as really just getting the kids in and the books out. It's still a challenge today," Sheedy added.
For over 30-years, Mr. Hetzel worked as director of the Pittsburgh University Press and was pivotal in launching the Drue Heinz Literature Prize, a short story competition whose winning author receives $15,000 and publication by the press.
For a man who read ketchup bottles as a kid because his parents wouldn't allow him to read at the kitchen table, Gear remembered her father as a person who couldn't be separated from books.
"My mother's house in Pittsburgh is just loaded with books from the basement up. He would read six or seven books at a time...When we went on vacation, my father would literally pack a suitcase with books. That was his idea of a vacation," laughed Gear.
Saying that the citizens who benefit from donations such as the Gear family's $1500 gift to the libraries often forget the benefactor who inspired such dedications, Sheedy will make it a priority to provide information about Mr. Hetzel.
"When something's dedicated to somebody, it's so often lost on the kids because they say, 'who is this guy?' Somebody needs to carry that on or the whole idea of the dedication is lost. For the next few years, kids might say 'oh, that's Audrey's granddad.' But when the kids grow up, people won't remember. So I'm going to set up a display so anybody who comes in can say, 'oh so that's who that was,'" said Sheedy.
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