David Colchamiro, a dedicated member of the Friends of Albany Public Library, passed away in June.
Jonathan Skinner, one of the programmer’s of the Tuesday Book Talks, shared this remembrance of David.
David Colchamiro was a major supporter of the Tuesday book talks of the Friends & Foundation of Albany Public Library, helping in more ways than anyone else, since the days of Lenny Tucker. He managed and provided the refreshments, showing up early to make the coffee & providing the milk to sweeten it—some said that the goodies & the comraderie were the only draw for the talks (I respectfully disagree with the word ‘only,’ but they were very important for the liveliness of our meetings). David ran the Friends Facebook page for years. He contributed to our main draw, the talks themselves, one or two talks a year for more than the last decade. His forte was history, especially of the 1900s, and his range was large: reviewing such books as Lusitania: An Epic Tragedy by Diana Preston (in 2010) and The Accidental President: Harry S. Truman and the Four Months that Changed the World by A. J. Baime (in 2018). One book combined David’s professional life as a transportation analyst for the NYS Department of Transportation: Lifted: A Cultural History of the Elevator by Andrew Bernard, the story of an invention for transporting people & things up & down that made possible high-rise office & apartment buildings, hence the growth of New York City (reviewed in 2015).
I admire his friendliness & cheerful outlook, his willingness to give others credit for good intentions. I will miss his whimsical greetings on the Tuesdays & the chance to talk with a kindred mind.
Jonathan Skinner
Donations sent to FFAPL in David’s memory will be earmarked for “something tasty for the Friends to share” in-person later this year.
