GREENFIELD — The late Hale and Lorraine Johnson, both artists and passionate supporters of the Greenfield Public Library, had their dreams come true Saturday as their loved ones gathered to dedicate the new library’s Lorraine Johnson Reading Room.

“When Hale’s galleries had opening receptions, the focus was always on Hale and his paintings, even though Lorraine was always at his side,” Liz Kidder, a friend and organizer of Saturday’s private ceremony, said during a brief speech. “He felt that she deserved recognition and he was afraid that she wouldn’t be remembered for what she accomplished, and that is why he decided to work with the library to dedicate this room to her.”

According to Kidder, Hale Johnson, who died in April 2022, requested the room dedication in return for a $500,000 donation to the Greenfield Public Library Foundation to help with the cost of the rebuilding of the library. Naming the second-floor room after Lorraine Johnson was far from just requital, however. Topping Lorraine’s lengthy resumé of community engagement was her membership as a Friend of the Greenfield Public Library. Between the early 2000s and her death in November 2016, Lorraine’s service included regularly creating displays, fundraising to help expand the library’s programming and painting watercolor art that now hangs in the Lorraine Johnson Reading Room.

“What was distinctive about Lorraine was that in her own quiet way, with humor and grace, she engaged others in the mission of the Friends,” Karen Larabee, president of the Friends of the Greenfield Public Library, previously wrote in a statement posted to the Greenfield Public Library Foundation website. “She never wanted to be the center of attention; she gladly gave credit to others. But her own joy in books and the people who loved them too created a fresh spirit at the library and paid many unseen dividends.”

This “fresh spirit” could be felt in the Reading Room during Saturday’s reception, which lasted from 3 to 4 p.m. and was attended by about two dozen guests. Both Lorraine and Hale’s paintings were given new life set against the cool gray of the walls. The Johnsons were also remembered through cherished stories shared by mingling loved ones.

“Because we’re what we call kind of the ‘newbies’ in Hale’s life, we just have such a respect for all his long-term friends that knew him inside and out,” said Kendra Westphalen, who, alongside her husband, Jim, recalled befriending Hale in 2017 six months after Lorraine’s death. “Part of why we come here, too, is to hear more about them, really.”

Despite only knowing each other for six years, Hale and Jim Westphalen developed a “father and son” dynamic in their time spent together, Kendra said. Their friendship began when Jim, a photographer, sent Hale a postcard after “nothing less than an emotional experience” seeing his work in a gallery in Manchester, New Hampshire.

“We were instantly these kindred spirits sort of out of the blue,” Jim Westphalen recounted. “I sent him a small print and I said, ‘Your work really speaks to me,’ and I told him how much it really meant to me and influences my own work. We started a correspondence and a relationship thereafter.”

Jim Westphalen said he felt this connection was mutually impactful, observing that it began for Hale during a time of self-doubt.

“He was starting to think about what he paints,” Jim Westphalen said. “Does it really affect anybody?”

In her speech, Kidder recognized everyone in attendance who had been — and remain — affected by what Hale and Lorraine Johnson left behind.

“As the room shows, they were a talented and loving team,” she said. “As Hale wished, his wife, who could make his knees buckle, will now always be remembered for her talent, and her love for the Greenfield Public Library, too. This is indeed a room they would’ve loved.”

Reach Julian Mendoza at 413-930-4231 or jmendoza@recorder.com.

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