(Lander, WY) – The KOVE 1330 AM / 107.7 FM Today in the 10 interview series Coffee Time continued today with host Vince Tropea, who recently spoke with Maralyne Middour from the Hudson Community Heroes group.
Middour stopped by to talk about the Yablonksi Memorial Library, which was recently leased to the Heroes group, and their plans for restoration.
(The Library, located at 205 South Illinois Ave. will have a Halloween themed open house on Saturday, October 26th from 4:00 to 6:00 p.m.)
When Middour reached out to talk about the Open House, we asked if she could stop by and give us a history of the Library as well, which, as it turned out, ties in to a part of American history that has led to books and soon-to-be movie adaptations.
We’ll save most of the story for folks to listen to in the interview below, but the gist is that the Library was named after Joseph Albert “Jock” Yablonski, who was an American labor leader for the United Mine Workers of America (UMWA) in the 50’s and 60’s, and was known for fighting for miner’s rights.
When Yablonski challenged Tony Boyle for the presidency of the international union and was later defeated, he claimed that it was a fraudulent election and filed a lawsuit against the UMWA, only to later be murdered along with his wife and daughter by three men hired by Boyle.
(The story is told in the novel Blood Runs Coal by Mark A. Bradley, which is set to be adapted into a film starring actor Cillian Murphy!)
Middour shared that after doing some digging, she discovered that the building the Library currently occupies used to be the Union Hall for the UMWA.
Years back, the Hudson Hudsonettes Friends of the Library went on to facilitate the donation of the building to the town of Hudson to be used as a library, so long as it also served as a memorial to Yablonski, hence the name.
The building fell into disrepair of the years, and Middour has made it her mission to restore the historic Library, which folks will be able to come see at the Open House mentioned above.
In addition to chatting in-depth about that history, what folks can expect from the Open House (and how they can volunteer/donate), Middour also shared about the Gold Star Park in Hudson and how her family’s story ties into her efforts to spread the word about the Park and its cause.
Check it all out in the full Coffee Time interview below!
Be sure to tune in to Today in the 10 and Coffee Time interviews every morning from 7:00 to 9:00 AM on KOVE 1330 AM / 107.7 FM, or stream it live right here.