Great Expectations: An Evening Affair to Benefit the Ridgefield Library

The Ridgefield Library’s annual Great Expectations funding-raising gala will take place April 22, 2017, from 6:30-10:30.  The highlight of the evening will be the presentation of the Hope H. Swenson Visionary Award to Sally and Rudy Ruggles for their long-standing impact on the library and their contributions to the community and beyond. The gala, open to the public, will feature cocktails, a sit-down dinner and entertainment. It will take place at the library, 427 Main St. in Ridgefield.  Ticket price is $250.    

Mr. and Mrs. Ruggles have been involved in numerous philanthropic activities, including an endowed chair of cancer research at the Danbury Hospital Biomedical Research Institute, where he chairs the Scientific Advisory Committee.

Sally Ruggles was the original owner of Books on the Common, Ridgefield’s independent bookstore. “She helped nurture a love of books and reading through her dedicated and thoughtful readers’ advisory and customer service – all this at a time when big-box stores were de-personalizing the book business,” said Chris Nolan, Library Director.

Rudy Ruggles began his career as a physicist with IBM and eventually moved into national security affairs as president of the Hudson Institute, remaining in that field during his career.  He has held advisory and leadership positions at the Morgan Library in New York City and the Newberry Library in Chicago and has offered his expertise and vision to the Ridgefield Library over the years.  He has been on the board of the Hord Foundation, Danbury Hospital and is a board member and adjunct professor in the Genomic Medicine section of the J. Craig Venter Institute.  He remains active with the Ridgefield Coalition Against Substance Abuse, which he co-founded with First Selectman Rudy Marconi. 

For more information, please visit the Ridgefield Library website. 

To purchase tickets, click here.