Carmen REYES
Carmen Reyes, who retired in 1985 as the Senior Clerk at the Hunt’s Point Regional Branch Library, died at the age of 97 on January 5, 2024, in North Carolina at the home of her daughter. Her husband of 76 years, Rafael (Ralph), himself 100 and also an NYPL retiree, was at her side. Mrs. Reyes was born in Barceloneta, Puerto Rico, and moved to New York in 1946. She began working for NYPL in 1954 at the Aguilar Branch under Branch Librarian Mildred Matthews and later Marie Ferrigno. In 1958, Mrs. Reyes transferred to Hunt’s Point to work with Dorothy Henderson and was the mainstay of the branch for all the branch librarians who followed, including Pat Bean, Mary K. Conwell, Jane Kunstler, and Margaret Hetley. Her bilingual skills were highly valued and, especially with Miss Henderson, she worked “out of classification” to conduct classes and other programs in Spanish. Following her retirement, she worked on the ROAR program, primarily at Central Children’s Room with Naomi Noyes, doing data-input for the older books in the collection.
Mrs. Reyes and her husband eventually relocated to Utah to be closer to their son, but she kept in touch with many of the people she worked with over the years, having a special fondness for the young men, including Armando Padilla, Barry Goldberg, Bill Zukowsky, Daniel Chavez, Jean-Paul Michaud, George Trepp, and Arnie Hyman, whom she called “her son.” Jean-Paul Michaud spoke for many when he learned of her death, saying “For those of us who worked at Hunt’s Point, Carmen has a special place in our memories and hearts.”
Mrs. Reyes ended her 2012 oral history interview by saying, “I enjoyed working for the Library from here to eternity. If I had a chance to go back to NYPL, I would do it—but without the computers.”
She is survived by her husband, her three children Rafael Jr, Richard (Richie), and Rebecca (Vicky), nine Grandchildren, and 20 Great-grandchildren. She has requested that no services be held. Interment will be at St. Raymond’s Cemetery in her beloved Bronx.
See New York Public Library Retirees Newsletter, Issue 44, page 11.
See New York Public Library Retirees Newsletter, Issue 40, page 7
See New York Public Library Retirees Newsletter, Issue 38, page 11.
See New York Public Library Retirees Newsletter, Issue 34, page 19.
See New York Public Library Retirees Newsletter, Issue 32, page 5.
Carmen Reyes, who retired in 1985 as the Senior Clerk at the Hunt’s Point Regional Branch Library, died at the age of 97 on January 5, 2024, in North Carolina at the home of her daughter. Her husband of 76 years, Rafael (Ralph), himself 100 and also an NYPL retiree, was at her side. Mrs. Reyes was born in Barceloneta, Puerto Rico, and moved to New York in 1946. She began working for NYPL in 1954 at the Aguilar Branch under Branch Librarian Mildred Matthews and later Marie Ferrigno. In 1958, Mrs. Reyes transferred to Hunt’s Point to work with Dorothy Henderson and was the mainstay of the branch for all the branch librarians who followed, including Pat Bean, Mary K. Conwell, Jane Kunstler, and Margaret Hetley. Her bilingual skills were highly valued and, especially with Miss Henderson, she worked “out of classification” to conduct classes and other programs in Spanish. Following her retirement, she worked on the ROAR program, primarily at Central Children’s Room with Naomi Noyes, doing data-input for the older books in the collection.
Mrs. Reyes and her husband eventually relocated to Utah to be closer to their son, but she kept in touch with many of the people she worked with over the years, having a special fondness for the young men, including Armando Padilla, Barry Goldberg, Bill Zukowsky, Daniel Chavez, Jean-Paul Michaud, George Trepp, and Arnie Hyman, whom she called “her son.” Jean-Paul Michaud spoke for many when he learned of her death, saying “For those of us who worked at Hunt’s Point, Carmen has a special place in our memories and hearts.”
Mrs. Reyes ended her 2012 oral history interview by saying, “I enjoyed working for the Library from here to eternity. If I had a chance to go back to NYPL, I would do it—but without the computers.”
She is survived by her husband, her three children Rafael Jr, Richard (Richie), and Rebecca (Vicky), nine Grandchildren, and 20 Great-grandchildren. She has requested that no services be held. Interment will be at St. Raymond’s Cemetery in her beloved Bronx.
See New York Public Library Retirees Newsletter, Issue 44, page 11.
See New York Public Library Retirees Newsletter, Issue 40, page 7
See New York Public Library Retirees Newsletter, Issue 38, page 11.
See New York Public Library Retirees Newsletter, Issue 34, page 19.
See New York Public Library Retirees Newsletter, Issue 32, page 5.