ALL SHOOK UP: A new start at the library

There was a HUGE shakeup at the Jan. 19 meeting of the Bayard Taylor Library board: Tom Swett is the new board president, Jeff Yetter vice president, and Bill McLachlan secretary/treasurer.
Mr. Swett, who lives in East Marlborough, served as the library board president back in the 1980s. In his remarks upon being elected, he gave a gracious, optimistic speech about the strengths of the library and its potential.
He and the other new officers have expressed their commitment to return to the traditional "Bayard Taylor Memorial Library" name; the outgoing board tried to change the name to the "Kennett Public Library" in early 2015, causing a firestorm of protest that has simmered all year.
Susan Mackey-Kallis stepped down as president and left the board. In her farewell speech, she acknowledged that the name change was a mistake in hindsight and was "a regret of mine." She admitted she did not realize how important the name was to the public.
Rosa Quintana, Margarita Garay-Zarco, Doug Thompson and Joan Weber also resigned from the board. Two new board members are Betsy Del Vecchio, named by Pennsbury Township to replace Ms. Mackey-Kallis, and Dr. Brenda Mercomes, a higher education professional appointed by Kennett Square Borough.
The other members of the board are Karen Ammon, Chris Britt, Stan Allen, Henry "Jerry" Brown, and Carolyn Mohr.
Mr. Swett, a member of the Wilmington Club and the Philadelphia Club, has considerable experience with fundraising and public relations, two areas that will be key if the library is to build a new facility. He served as assistant headmaster at the Upland Country Day School from 1964 to 1991 and did outreach and fundraising at the Stroud Water Research Center from 1991 to 2001. He has served on the boards of the Chester County Hospital, the CCH Foundation, Historic Kennett Square, the Upland Country Day School, and the United Way of Chester County and on the advisory boards of the First National Bank of Chester County, Kennett Square's History Station, the Jefferson School in Georgetown, Del., and the Northern Trust Company of Delaware. He chaired the Po-Mar-Lin Fire Company's capital campaign in 1999-2001. He was named Citizen of the Year by the Southern Chester County Chamber of Commerce in 2001.