Item C03
BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS
AGENDA ITEM SUMMARY
MEETING DATE:
April 19, 2006
DIVISION: COMMUNITY SERVICES
BULK ITEM:
NO
DEPARTMENT: LIBRARY
AGENDA ITEM WORDING: Presentation of Years of SefYice Award for 20 years of sefYice to Tom Hambright, .
Librarian, Local History, Key West Library, Community SefYices
ITEM BACKGROUND:
See attached
PREVIOUS RELEVANT BaCC ACTION: N/A
CONTRACTIAGREEMENTCHANGES: N~
STAFF RECOMMENDATION: Present Award
TOTAL COST: N/A
BUDGETED: N/A
COST TO COUNTY: N/A
REVENUE PRODUCING: N/A
AMOUNT PER MONTH /YEAR: N/A
APPROVED BY: County Attorney N/A
OMB/Purchasing N/A Risk Management N/A
DIVISION DIRECTOR APPROVAL
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Sheila Barker
DOCUMENTATION: Included X
To Follow
Not Required
AGENDA ITEM #
DISPOSITION:
YEARS OF SERVICE AWARD
TOM HAMBRIGHT
LIBRARIAN, LOCAL HISTORY
Tom Hambright has served the Monroe County Public Library and the entire
Monroe County community as Local Historian for the past 20 years. He is
acclaimed for his extensive knowledge on the history of Key West, the Florida
Keys, and beyond.
Before joining the Library staff, Tom served 21 years in the Navy, where he
retired with the rank of Lieutenant Commander. Following that retirement, he
worked as Curator for the Lighthouse Museum and East Martello for three years.
Tom and his wife and assistant Lynda have been married since 1994.
In his 20 years of Library service, Tom has given presentations on Monroe
County history to most of the non-profit organizations in the County, from Key
Largo to Key West, and is widely known as the "Keys Historian." In this capacity
he has worked with authors, newspaper writers, and television producers and
has appeared on television himself a number of times. During this time he
assisted in the planning for and construction of a new wing and special vault for
the unique Florida History collection that he has helped to develop and carefully
oversees. He was honored as Monroe County Employee of the Year in 1999.
Tom has served on the Board of Directors of the Old Island Restoration
Foundation and the Key West Art and Historical Society. He is presently on the
board of the Key West Maritime Historical Society, and has published articles in
the Florida Keys Sea Heritage Journal and The Florida Genealogist. With his wife
Lynda, he has produced the daily column "Today in Keys History" for The Key
West Citizen since 1998, and is a regular contributor to numerous other historical
publications.
Although the Florida History collection, under Tom's guidance, has grown to be
an extensive collection of unique materials, Tom's own memory is the real
treasure of the collection. He has been known to come up with histories of Key
West people, places, and events, from a simple question, complete with accurate
detail of names, dates, and locations. Patrons frequently refer to him for history
information before beginning their research, and when he refers them to the
written source material, inevitably find that his recall is accurate and complete.
Tom Hambright is an extraordinary ambassador for Monroe County, a valued
colleague to his fellow employees, and a historic treasure to the community. We
are grateful for his 20 years of special service on behalf of the Monroe County
Library, and look forward to many more.