Scene Around: Rumsonite Renee Swartz’s Literacy Honor Among Friends

You could say she’s booked. In fact, she’s been booked for quite some time.

Longtime former Rumsonite Renee Swartz was recently (on July 19), and quite literally, booked at an event honoring her work with Monmouth County Library System since 1960 and, mostly, her retirement from her work since 2001 as founder and chair of the NJ Center for the Book at the Molly Pitcher Inn in Red Bank.

After spending decades promoting literacy in any way she could with the county Library System, Swartz made it her mission in 2001 to make New Jersey the “44th state to create a designated center and affiliation with the Library of Congress,” the NJCFB mission statement says. “NJCFB, celebrates and promotes reading, books, libraries and literacy, and all its many forms throughout New Jersey. It fosters an appreciation of literature of all types people of all ages and sponsors programs designed to celebrate the state’s unique literary treasures.”

So, she gathered among longtime colleagues, old friends and family to celebrate those 23 years at NJCFB and the decades before. Among those Rumson friends who fete with Swartz was retired longtime Rumsonite and Deane-Porter School teacher Anita Waters Sr.. The senior Waters and Swartz have been friends from Rumson for quite some time. Their daughters (in the featured photo), Anita Waters Jr. and Addie Swartz have been friends for decades and are both RFH Class of ’78 grads.

Now, that’s community connection celebrated.

Cheers to longtime Rumson friends, lifetimes of accomplishments for the greater good and Renee Swartz’s retirement!

— Photos/Annie Shapiro Swartz & NJCFB