LYNN — At more than $587,000, the gift represents the largest donation in the Lynn Public Library’s recorded history, but it’s a bit of a mystery as to why the late donor was so generous.
With the Lynn City Council’s vote Tuesday evening to accept the gift from the Burton E. Green Trust of Jan. 13, 1971, the funds will be turned over to the Lynn Public Library Trustees.
Chief Librarian Theresa Hurley said the library was notified a couple of years ago that it had been named in Green’s trust, but would not benefit from the funds until his sister, Cora A. Jordan, died.
Jordan had been receiving the monthly interest on the trust, but upon her death last summer, Green’s will dictated that all of his trust property should be named to the Lynn Public Library.
“At first it was a little overwhelming,” said Hurley. “We’ve had trusts going back from the late 1800s but I haven’t seen anything like this and I’ve been here 25 years.”
The second-largest donation the library has received dates back to 1963, when it was awarded $300,863 from the Benjamin Johnson Trust, Hurley said.
When Green’s nephew, Robert C. Jordan contacted Hurley to let her know the sister had died, he didn’t say much — his only request was for Hurley to hang a picture of his uncle in the library, to bring some recognition to the generous donation.
Unfortunately, his nephew never sent the photo and Hurley does not have any contact information for the family to learn more about Green, or why he decided to donate his trust to the library.
Not much is known about the late donor, Hurley said, other than that his father, Dr. Milo C. Green, was a prominent Boston physician in the 1900s, and that he never married or had any children.
According to his obituary, Green was a lifelong Lynn resident who died Oct. 24, 2009 after a lengthy illness. He was 88.
Green served as a weather observer for the Army Air Corp in the Aleutian Islands on the island of Amchitka during World War II, attaining the rank of staff sergeant. He was survived by his sister and nephew, both of N. Providence, R.I., and was buried in the Veterans Lot at Pine Grove Cemetery, according to his obituary.
“He lived on Hamilton Avenue,” said Hurley. “Maybe he came here every day to read the newspaper. Maybe he didn’t. I don’t know. It’s a little bit of a mystery.”
No matter what his reasons were, Hurley said the library can definitely use the money. Since the trust was turned over the Library Board of Trustees, the panel would have to vote on whatever potential use is proposed.
There’s been no serious discussions about what the funds could be used for at this point, but there’s a lot of things that it could pay for, Hurley said, explaining that the library building is old and in need of extensive renovations.
Currently, the building lacks an elevator, fire alarm system and air conditioning. Adding those three elements to the building alone would probably take up the entire cost of the gift, Hurley said.
“Those are some of the capital projects that we’ve been talking about forever,” said Hurley. “This building is not easily accessible to those who have trouble with stairs and walking.”
What’s particularly beneficial about the donation, other than its significant amount, is that there were no conditions in Green’s will that dictated what he wanted the funds to be used for. In many cases, when libraries receive trust funds, they come with the caveat of donors requesting specific uses, such as purchasing books for certain subject areas, Hurley said.
Although Hurley is incredibly grateful for the generosity, she wishes there was some way to shed more light on the mysterious donor.
“I just wish I knew a little bit more,” she said.
