Friends of the Library Presents Awards to Distinguished Pair

The Friends of the Huntington Public Library has presented Huntington High School Class of 2025 members Amalia Heinz and Edgar Vidal-Villalba with $750 scholarships. Library Director Joanne Adam presented the scholarships at the annual senior awards ceremony in the auditorium.

Ms. Heinz will be attending Binghamton University while Mr. Vidal-Villalba is headed to Nassau Community College. Both students were on hand for the presentation before a crowd of about 300.

An Advanced Placement Scholar with Honor and a member of six different academic honor societies, Ms. Heinz plans to study biology at Binghamton. She performed in the high school orchestra and marching band and ran track with the Blue Devil varsity girls’ track team.

“I’ve found success in high school by learning how to balance my schoolwork while still taking care of myself,” Ms. Heinz said. “I also improved my time management skills a lot. One of the things I enjoyed most was getting to take so many different classes that let me explore all my interests. I’ve also made a lot of great friendships along the way.

Mr. Vidal-Villalba is an all-around great guy. At one time or another he played soccer, tennis and track and field. He has also worked closely with teacher Kristen Temperino in the Video Broadcasting program helping to document through film dozens of events during the year. His engaging personality impressive those at a variety of venues and allowed him to get close to the action, including on the field at Adelphi University when Huntington topped Massapequa for the girls’ lacrosse Long Island championship.

Ms. Heinz and Mr. Vidal-Villalba are not strangers to those at the Huntington Public Library so the twin $750 scholarships were entirely fitting and proper.

The Huntington Public Library is one of the oldest public libraries in Suffolk County with roots dating back to 1759. Thirty-nine people joined together to form the first circulating library in Huntington with Reverend Ebenezer Prime as the first “library-keeper.” The library consisted of 115 volumes which were housed in a “box of shelves.” A book could be borrowed for two months but a fine of "one copper per diem" per book was charged.

The library was destroyed during the British occupation of Huntington during the Revolutionary War and it emerged again in 1801 as a circulating library. It was known as the Huntington Lyceum between 1827 and 1843. Again, it was reorganized as the Huntington Library Association until 1858. In 1869, the Huntington Lyceum emerged once more; featuring debates and lectures and developed into the Young Men's Literary Association and continued until 1871.

Mary Talmage was considered to be the “mother of the library” because of her dedication to library services. The first Board meeting was held at her home on Fairview Street in 1875. It was in 1875 that the Huntington Library Association was formed and it became incorporated in 1883.

Through fundraising efforts, the construction of the Soldiers and Sailors Memorial Building was completed in 1892, commemorating our Civil War soldiers. It became the site for the new library. In July 1958, the Library was moved to its present location at 338 Main Street, the former NY Telephone Company building which was built in 1916.