Tribute to Stephanie

I don’t tend to remember first impressions, or even "important" events, but I do tend to remember small, random moments, and in honor of Stephanie Squicciarini, who made a difference in our lives in so many ways, I’m going to share some of these memories with you.

Growing up, Stephanie was always a presence at the Fairport Public Library- someone I most likely heard about before I actually met. While I was introduced to her there, my first concrete memory of Stephanie is actually from my middle school library, when she came to talk about the summer reading program. I remember at one point she wanted to see if any of us could pronounce her last name correctly, and everyone started to flip through the brochures she had given us trying to find it. And even though I knew her last name by then, I remember I didn't know how to pronounce it either.

Throughout the years, I must have seen Stephanie countless times. I went to a lot of library programs, and I especially remember the summer volunteering parties. We always played bingo and I remember she would laugh because there would always be a monotone echo after each ball was announced. And she always had a special round where you could win extra prizes if you had her age on your board. 

I also remember Stephanie from TBF- I was so lost and confused the first year I went, but I remember I talked to her at one point and it made my day a lot better. During my second TBF, two authors I really liked had not signed my t-shirt, and I was disappointed because I wouldn’t be able to get to them later that day. And despite how busy she must have been, Stephanie took the t-shirt to those authors and made sure I got those last two signatures.

Lastly, it is arguably the memories that don't have vivid images tied to them that are the most influential to me- her understanding nature, her consistent presence, the way she listened to everyone, her straightforward advice, and how excited she was about reading, to name a few. Stephanie impacted countless individuals as well as her community, and I am so grateful that I knew her.

-Amy