Library looking to bloom under new leader of Friends

SALISBURY — A visit to Inge Heckel’s Salmon Kill Road home on a crisp September day does not yield a glimpse of even a single daffodil. The impressive field of flowers — Heckel estimated there are “at least� 50,000 bulbs out there — at the property known locally as The Daffodil House, faded months ago.

But the mail that day brought a reminder of spring.

Heckel’s low-maintence garden rated a spread in “Private Gardens of Connecticut,� written by Jane Garmey of Cornwall and photographed by John Hall.

“I knew what it was when it arrived and I told the postman if he had a minute, I’d show it to him,� Heckel said.

Heckel is obviously delighted with her Northwest Corner cottage, which is larger than it appears from the road. She said she had been visiting friends in the area since 1965, but had given up hope of finding something affordable for herself.

Then, one day about 12 years ago, she saw a For Sale sign by the daffodil house.

“We rushed through lunch and went right over to the real estate office,� she said. “And it all worked out.�

Heckel was living and working in New York City at the time. She had a long career in education and fundraising. She has been the head of the New York School of Interior Design and Bradford College in Bradford, Mass. She ran her own management consulting firm, which specialized in fundraising for educational and cultural organizations, and worked as a manager of development and promotion for the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

And there are a few quirky things on her resume, such as the Order of Isabel Catolica decoration she received from King Juan Carlos of Spain in 1977 for “furthering cultural relations between Spain and the United States� and her credit as co-author of a children’s book, “A Tale of Two Williams.�

She’s always been busy. But now that she’s moved full-time to Salisbury — “I still escape to the city occasionallyâ€� — she’s slowed down.  A little.

Quickly following her transition to full-time Connecticut resident, Heckel joined the board of the Friends of the Scoville Memorial Library. And in less than a year, she became president.

“Everyone involved is so dedicated to the well-being of the library that it is a joy to be part of this effort,� she said.

Heckel said her friend Ilene Tetenbaum introduced her to the Friends.

“We lived in the same building in New York and met dog walking,� she recalled. When the Friends began looking for new members a couple of years ago, Tetenbaum thought of her friend with the fundraising experience.

And the board was eager to take advantage of that experience, as shown by her swift election to president.

Heckel has jumped into the job, working to increase communication between the Friends and the library’s Board of Trustees and overseeing the annual October book sale and cocktail party, which are the group’s largest fundraisers.

“Under the leadership of Joanne Elliot, the book sale and related online sales through Alibris have been tremendously successful,� she said. “Going forward we’ll do everything we can to emulate that success. Right now we’re concentrating on the upcoming sale Oct. 8, 9 and 10. After that, we’ll begin planning for the future.�

Heckel said she has ideas for the future of the Friends, but she’s not ready to reveal them yet. Some changes to this year’s sale, however, include the pricing. Anyone who purchases $50 worth of books will receive a discount of 10 percent; there will be a discount of 20 percent on purchases of $100 or more.

The discount is aimed at book dealers, who have traditionally been big buyers at the sale. Heckel said she hopes the discount will encourage other shoppers to fill their bags as well.

The cocktail preview party will be Friday, Oct. 8, from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. in the library’s Wardell Community Room.

For $25, partygoers will get cocktails, hors d’ouevres and first crack at the books. The sale continues Saturday, Oct. 9, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and wraps up Sunday, Oct. 10, with a bag sale.

Though Heckel has certainly embraced her new life in Salisbury, she said she is limiting her commitments to the Friends of the Library.

“I want to do a good job,� she said.

Jennifer Kronholm is a member of the board of the Friends of Scoville Memorial Library and an editor at The Lakeville Journal Co.