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Grinton I. Will

Ancestry

Grinton Ingham Will, son of Edwin Robertson and M. Helen (Ingham) Will, was born on April 15, 1903. His great-grandfather was a kapellmeister (music conductor) in Bonn, Germany, the birthplace of Ludwig van Beethoven. His grandfather John H. Will, a talented artist in his own right, immigrated to the United States from Bonn in 1848. His father, Edwin Will, studied architecture at City College of New York and Cooper Union before working at an architectural firm associated with famed architect John Russell Pope. His mother, M. Helen Ingham, studied at Hunter College and then became a teacher at Evander Childs and other schools in New York City. Her family is of English origin and immigrated to the United States before the Revolutionary War. Grinton's brother Robert was born in 1909.^[1]

Education and Beginning of Career

Grinton grew up in Mamaroneck and attended the Rye Neck public schools. After graduating from high school, he attended Columbia University and received his professional library service certificate in 1930. He then attended Wesleyan University where he received a Bachelor of Arts degree. While studying at Columbia University, he worked at as a bank teller at the First National Bank of Mamaroneck. He then became a librarian at the Mamaroneck Public Library in 1923. He worked at the Mamaroneck Public Library for ten years and then was hired in 1933 to work at the Yonkers Public Library. After working at the Yonkers Public Library for eight years, he became library director of the Yonkers Public Library in 1941.^[2]

Working as a Director of the Yonkers Public Library

While Grinton was director of the Yonkers Public Library, the library grew. Under his direction, three branches of the Yonkers Public Library were built. These were the Coyne Park Branch, the Hudson Museum River Branch, and the Grassy Sprain Branch, which would later become know as the Grinton I. Will Library. Though already built, the Crestwood Library Branch building was enlarged. Additionally, three bookmobiles were built to provide library service to Yonkers residents who were not close to a library branch. With bookmobiles and various library branches, library service was provided to every part of Yonkers. His implementing of bookmobiles as part of library service was recognized by the United States State Department and Mr. Will was contacted by them to build bookmobiles that could be used in Indonesia and the Philippines after World War Two. The lack of roads in these countries at the them prevented this from being implemented. Cite error: A <ref> tag is missing the closing </ref> (see the help page).. Programs that occurred under Grinton I. Will's direction included a mock broadcast with WINS broadcaster Stan Z. Burns^[3], a production of The Wizard of Oz,^[4] and Library Night featuring guest speakers and politicians.^[5] Besides the success of his library programming, the circulation of materials increased. On December 19, 1961, the one millionth book was circulated. ^[6] By the time of Grinton I. Will's retirement in 1973, the Yonkers Public Library was the highest circulating library of its group. This consisted of libraries that serviced between 100,000 to 250,000 patrons. ^[7] After a long career of extraordinary service, Grinton I. Will retired on April 13, 1973 at the age of 70.^[8] The Grassy Sprain Library's name was changed to the Grinton I. Will Library upon his retirement. ^[9]

Library Associations

When not working at the Yonkers Public Library, Grinton I. Will was heavily involved with library associations. As a member of the Westchester County Library Association, he was became chairman of the victory book campaign from 1941-1943 and helped gather books for U.S. Armed Forces during World War Two. He also was on the membership committee and membership board on salaries, pensions and working conditions of the New York Library Association. Additionally, he was on the American Library Association's board on salaries, staff, and tenure. He also was a member of the American Library Association's committee on relations with the H.W. Wilson Company. Further, he was a member of the parent education committee of the New York State Congress of Parents and Teachers in the Metropolitan District and chairman of its library committee between 1941 to 1943.^[10] Besides just working in library associations, Mr. Will assisted libraries by working as a consultant. He worked as a library consultant to the Levittown high school and public library. A report of the combination of high school and public library services was written and published as a book in 1963.^[11]

Community Work

Outside of work, Grinton spent a tremendous amount of time studying local history. He belonged to the Westchester County History Society, the New York State Historical Society, and the Yonkers Historical Society.^[12] With the Yonkers Historical Society, he wrote an article about the building of Yonkers City Hall at the request of Mayor Gerry Loehr. This was published in the Yonkers Historical Society's bulletin.^[13] Along with the Yonkers Historical Society, he was involved with various Yonkers community organizations. These include the Boy Scouts of America troop in Yonkers; the Yonkers Tuberculosis and Health Association, and the United Nationalities Council of Yonkers. During World War Two, he was the director of research and information for the Yonkers War Council and a community service member of the Yonkers Price and Rationing Board.^[14]

Music Interest

Grinton I. Will had a passion for music. Following in his great-grandfather's footsteps, he was a guest conductor of both the Larchmont and Mamaroneck choral societies. He wrote original lyrics and music for choral compositions. A couple of these include "Through the Night a Starry Way" and "Lord, O Lord, Look Down Upon Us." These songs were published by H.W. Gray Publications in 1928.^[15]

Marriage and Family

Grinton I. Will married Clarissa Lord on March 14, 1931 at St. Bartholomew's Protestant Church in New York City. Clarissa attended Connecticut College for Women and received a Bachelor of Arts degree. She graduated with honors and was elected Winthrop Scholar. After graduating, she worked as a statistician in the economics department at the University of Connecticut before getting married. Grinton and Clarissa had two sons together-Brian Robert and David Grinton Will.^[16]

Legacy

After living a life full of public service, Grinton I. Will passed away in in June of 1986 at the age of 83. ^[17] His noble work with the community and his leadership as a library director will be forever remembered in Yonkers.