Nutley Will Honor One Of Its ‘Most Admired Residents’ At Library Event

NUTLEY, NJ — For half a century, Anthony Iannarone has continued an “unprecedented” and “inspiring” streak of service to the Nutley Public Library. And soon, he’ll be getting his due kudos for a lifetime of service.

The Township of Nutley will honor Iannarone by dedicating the Nutley Public Library’s Children's Room in his name at a ceremony on Sunday, Oct. 16 from 2 to 4 p.m. Reservations for the event will be taken on a first-come, first-served basis. For more information, contact the Nutley Public Library at 973-667-0405.

According to a statement from town officials, Iannarone – “one of the town’s most admired residents” – has served as a library trustee for 50 years and is currently in his 36th year as library board president. It’s a longer streak of service than anyone in the history of Nutley has put in as a member of any official municipal board.

The Nutley resident has become a fixture at the library. Now in his 10th full term, he has been appointed by seven different mayors.

But there’s much more to Iannarone than his time at the library, officials say:

“Volunteerism at the community level has an important, positive impact on local citizens. Mr. Iannarone is not only an exemplar of community voluntarism, but also an inspirational individual who gives ample evidence that the human spirit can transcend daunting physical adversity and achieve heights of excellence. In May 1949, at the age of eighteen, Mr. Iannarone awoke in a hospital bed having lost both hands in a Rutgers chemical laboratory accident. He returned to Rutgers in September of the same year and not only achieved his degree on time, but did so, as President of the Senior Class with high honors, a Phi Beta Kappa key, and a host of other honors, including a Root-Tilden scholarship to New York University School of Law, one of twenty nationally and two from the combined states of Delaware, New Jersey and Pennsylvania. He earned his Juris Doctor Degree, achieved the highest grade on the New Jersey state bar examination and later earned a Master of Laws degree with almost a perfect average, also from N.Y.U. Most of his outstanding legal career was spent in the Law Department of Hoffmann–La Roche Inc., where he progressed to associate vice president, associate general counsel and assistant secretary.”

Iannarone moved to Nutley in 1959 and within a few years began his involvement in many civic activities. And they have been numerous, officials say.

In addition to his tenure as a library trustee, Iannarone has served in a number of capacities for various organizations, including the Nutley Family Service Bureau, Virginius D. Mattia Memorial Committee, the Auxiliary Police, and the Nutley Hall of Fame Committee. In 2013, Iannarone was inducted into the Nutley Hall of Fame. Among many other awards, he is a recipient of a New Jersey Governor’s Jefferson Award in the category of “Against All Odds,” and a “Seeds of Hope” award recipient from New Jersey Monthly magazine.

At the library, his achievements have included:

• “Maintaining excellent relations with the mayor and four commissioners, so that during COVID -19 closure and difficult economic times, the library staff positions and services remained intact. Following CDC guidelines, Mr. Iannarone safely guided the reopening of the Library to the public as early as June 2020, with full support from the staff and the municipal government.
• “In collaboration with the Mayor, Trustees, and Director, he was an integral team member in applying, advocating for, and securing a portion of the Library Construction Bond Act (LCBA) Round Two grant totaling $284,115 - including a 50-percent match agreement from the municipality - to be used to replace the library’s 30-year-old outmoded and failing HVAC system.
• “Devised a resolution procedure to establish permanent gift funds at the library now totaling more than $530,000. He personally dealt with the donors and prepared more than 30 resolutions covering the various components of the program. Each year, 80 percent of the interest is made available to supplement the library’s budget.
• “He was the prime mover behind a 9,000 square-foot expansion. This included obtaining municipal funding of $1.95 million and handling the contracting process.
• “In connection with the expansion, he was a founding member of the Friends of the Nutley Library, who raised more than $110,000 for new furniture.
• “Under his leadership, Nutley was the pioneering Essex County library to join the Bergen County Cooperative Library System (BCCLS), the first Essex County Library to do so, with added benefits to patrons, including access to more than seventy libraries, inter-library loans, and valuable on-line databases.
• “Obtained a $40,000 legislative grant used to construct a handicapped ramp, an additional sidewalk, and retaining walls to stop erosion and improve landscaping.
• “Using $16,000 in accumulated funds donated by his former employer, Hoffman-La Roche Inc., he acquired a pre-owned 5’10” Steinway studio grand piano, which allows the library to conduct high-level music programs. Led the Library into the Bergen County Cooperative Library System (BCCLS), the first Essex County Library to do so, with added benefits to patrons, including access to more than seventy libraries, inter-library loans, and valuable on-line databases.
• “Obtained a $40,000 legislative grant used to construct a handicapped ramp, an additional sidewalk, and retaining walls to stop erosion and improve landscaping.”

“Anthony’s long, dedicated service to our community and the Nutley Public Library is inspiring,” Mayor Joseph Scarpelli said. “It is such a fitting tribute to name the Children’s Room in his honor.”

Nutley Library Director Michelle Albert agreed.

“[Iannarone’s] stewardship has made the library a dynamic cultural center for Nutley and surrounding communities,” Albert said. “His foresight for the evolving needs of the library in the 21st century distinguishes his remarkable tenure as a trustee.”

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