NASHUA – Young readers looking for more books to read will have the option of checking out one of more than 120 found at the new Martin Memorial Lending Library, located at the Arlington Street Community Center.

Friends and family of Marilyn Martin, a longtime reading teacher at Dr. Norman W. Crisp Elementary School, have donated the books to honor her work in educating Nashua students for the majority of her 45-year career.

With Mayor Jim Donchess among those in attendance, along with current and former Nashua school teachers and Martin’s family members, the center honored the family with books that will be available to to students to borrow.

“Marilyn, I know is a beloved and dedicated reading teacher,” Donchess said regarding Martin’s impact on the community. “She is proudly remembered by this collection.”

“I just would want to thank Barbara (Winton) and Dee (Shea) and everybody who did everything on this project for donating so many books to our community center,” Donchess added.

With the new set of books, children visiting the center will have more reading options available to them. Upon returning the books to the community center, they will earn prizes such as bookmarks, pencils, erasers, Silly Putty and other small rewards.

Martin, who was born in Attleborough, Massachusetts, retired from teaching in 2013. After a brief illness, she died Dec. 15 of that year. Upon graduating from Barrington College in Rhode Island, she started teaching and when Dr. Crisp opened, working there until her retirement.

She was a devout Christian. Aside from teaching at Dr. Crisp, Martin also taught religion at Bethany Covenant Church in Bedford.

The lending library will serve to continue the work that Martin did throughout her career. Her family, in attendance at the community center Wednesday, spoke to how committed she was to her job and to getting students and young members of the community reading.

“She was really into getting the kids to read, a major thing for her, and I guess she did very well,” her husband, Kevin Martin, said. “Something like this continues her work as an ambassador for reading.”

Martin’s daughter, Melissa, described the dedication of the lending library in honor of her mother as a huge tribute. Both Melissa and her sister, Deirdre, said that even though Marilyn would not have wanted to have been the center of attention, the lending library will serve to benefit the community’s children in a way that would make their mother proud.

“It’s a gift, really. I think we’re all so grateful because so many people will benefit from this. You know the children. It’s what she loved – it’s what she did,” Melissa said. “She was a reading teacher, and she loved to give books, so this was a huge honor to her memory.”

The lending library was made possible through the efforts of many of Martin’s closest friends and former co-workers, including former Dr. Crisp teachers Barbra Winton and Dee Shea. Winton said she and Shea were able to get 16 of Martin’s friends to raise $390, which they used to buy 62 of the books from Barnes & Noble.

“We just feel like they’ll be able to take books home that she donated, read them and bring them back,” Winton said. “It gets books at home and it gets children reading.”

Mathew Plamondon can be reached at 594-1244, or at mplamondon@nashuatelegraph.com.

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