Newark Public Library Director Named Woman of the Year by Essex Zonta Club
Press Release April 11, 2006

Newark Public Library Director Wilma Grey has been named "Woman of the Year," by The Zonta Club of Essex County. She will be honored by the organization at its annual Scholarship Awards Brunch, Sunday, April 23, 10 a.m. at the Sheraton Newark Airport on Frontage Road The scholarships, named in memory of Gladys  Hillman Jones and Bessie Morize, are presented to graduates of the Newark school system, who are entering college in September.

The first African-American to serve as head of the state’s largest library, Grey is a 30-year career employee, who, as supervisor of Library branches, was responsible for the refurbishment of the system’s ten neighborhood branches. She was also the administrator of the Systems, African-American, and World Book Collections, and serves as president of the Newark Literacy Campaign.

Zonta is an international women’s services organization committed to advancing the status of women worldwide. It has approximately 35,000 members in more than 1,200 clubs in 69 countries. Pamela Morgan is president of Zonta of Essex County, which celebrated its 75th anniversary last year. The local club supports homeless and battered women’s shelters, patients in health and extended care facilities and victims of crime and poverty.

Tickets for the event are $45, $40 for seniors and students. For tickets and further information, please call Theresa Perry Lewis 908-222-0527 or Sharon Jones 973-643-5701.