THE HONOREES—Deborah Marshall Battle, Kathleen Grisnik Tachoir, Dr. Tamara Allen Thomas, Jacqueline Wellington Moore.
by Genea L. Webb, For New Pittsburgh Courier
Four women that the Clairton Public Library felt have done great things for the city were honored by the institution for their individual efforts.
The honorees were: longtime library patron and supporter Jacqueline Wellington Moore; Clairton business owner, former Clairton City Councilwoman and former Deputy Mayor Kathleen Grisnik Tachoir; retired Clairton City School District teacher and principal Deborah Marshall Battle; and newly-appointed Clairton City School District superintendent Dr. Tamara Allen Thomas.
KATHLEEN GRISNIK TACHOIR
“As far as Kathy Tachoir, we decided to honor her because she is willing to do anything in the community and she works hard for the community of Clairton,” explained Clairton Public Library Director Emma Anderson. “We chose Deborah because she dedicated her life to working for the students in the Clairton City School District. We chose Mrs. Moore because she has donated a lot to this library and she attends a lot of our programs.”
DR. TAMARA ALLEN THOMAS AND FAMILY
While Dr. Allen Thomas is new to Clairton, Anderson said that Dr. Allen Thomas is “so interested in Clairton and she can’t wait to get started and work with the library. So, we chose her because we wanted to welcome her to the community.”
Each woman was gifted with a book that signified their unique character and personality. The books have a card in the front with the individual woman’s name. The books will be available for checkout at the library. Tachoir was given the book, “In the Company of Women: inspiration and advice from over 100 Makers, Artists and Entrepreneurs” by Grace Bonny; Wellington Moore was given, “Unbound: My Story of Liberation and the Birth of the Me Too Movement” by Tarana Burke; Marshall was gifted with two books; “Carved in Ebony” by Jasmine Holmes and, “The Black Professional’s Guide to Advancing in Academia” by Jennifer J. Edwards. Dr. Allen Thomas was gifted with, “The Strong Black Woman” by Marita Golden. Each woman also received a broach.
Clairton Mayor Rich Lattanzi presented a proclamation to the library to commemorate National Library Week (April 3-9) and to the women.
“We do appreciate, at the city level, what you do for the community and the city. That’s why this is such a special city,” Lattanzi said. “The ladies who received these awards are most deserving. The people are the strongest asset in Clairton, and I would like to thank these women for putting in the time to make Clairton a special place to live.”
JACQUELINE WELLINGTON MOORE
Wellington Moore, a New York City transplant who has resided in Clairton for more than 15 years, said one of her first orders of business when she moved to the City of Prayer (Clairton) was to join the library. She is a member of the library’s book club, Wise Walk program and attends many of the library’s functions.
“It’s just so wonderful to be honored by the library in this manner,” said Wellington Moore, who was recently honored by DeVore Carter Communications for over 40 years of service to the Ophelia DeVore Charm School.
Tachoir, a lifelong Clairtonian, was extremely honored to even be considered for the award, let alone receive it. “Sometimes, when you’re active and you do things around people in your community, they don’t really know all about you. This is all something for me to remember how people feel about me,” Tachoir said.
DEBORAH MARSHALL BATTLE
Marshall, a 2021 New Pittsburgh Courier “Women of Excellence” honoree, lifelong Clairton resident and employee of the Clairton City School District for 51 years, sees the library award as a way for her to connect with the children of the community.
“The library is the city’s best kept secret,” Marshall told the New Pittsburgh Courier. “I love children because they live up to your expectations of them. I am thankful to the library for this honor.”
Although she was not able to attend the festivities and is not from Clairton, new school superintendent Dr. Allen Thomas was happy that the library would consider her for the award.
“As superintendent, I plan to partner with the library in ways that advance the partnership with the school district,” she said. “I look forward to having book drives, community meetings, and making sure that students and families understand the great resources and supports that the library offers,” Dr. Allen Thomas said.
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