TIMESLEDGER | QNS.COM | JAN. 31-FEB. 6, 2020 5
BY CARLOTTA MOHAMED
Beloved longtime Whitestone
children’s librarian Susan
Scatena, also known as
“Miss Susan,” died on Jan. 10,
at age 61.
Scatena was renowned for
a special annual children’s
summer reading contest
she organized for the past 14
years to entice kids to read
during their vacation from
school. If they reached the
goal of collectively reading
at least 2,000 books, she did
a special stunt inspired by a
well-known children’s story.
Past performances include
sitting in a vat of spaghetti,
kissing a frog, reading to an
alligator, eating a plate of
green eggs and ham, hugging
a 14-foot Burmese python and
morphing from a caterpillar
to a butterfly.
“During the 18 years she
served the Whitestone community,
Susan became an institution
because of her creativity,
thoughtfulness and total devotion
to children,” said Queens
Public Library President and
CEO Dennis M. Walcott. “She
was a remarkable librarian
who was beloved by many people
in the community, within
the QPL system and beyond.
We are deeply saddened by her
passing and will miss her a
great deal.”
Scatena began her career
as a teacher and joined
Queens Public Library in
1981, first working in the
Poppenhusen and Mitchell-
Linden branches before moving
to the Whitestone branch
— located at 151-10 14th Road
— in 2002.
Born June 14, 1958, Scatena
was raised in College Point,
and attended Monsignor Scanlan
High School in the Bronx.
She received a bachelor’s degree
in early education and
a master’s degree in library
science at Queens College. She
won the prestigious James
Patterson PageTurner Award
in 2006 for her efforts to spread
the love of reading.
Throughout her life, Scatena
volunteered at several different
performing arts organizations,
including the Village
Light Opera Group, the New
York Caledonian Club, and the
New York Scottish Pipes and
Drums, working behind the
scenes of their productions.
She is survived by her
partner, Rick Stanley of
Flushing, and her cat, Dewey.
A memorial service will
be held at 10:15 a.m. Friday,
January 24, at Saint Fidelis
Church, located at 123-14 14th
Ave., College Point.
A private burial will follow
at Gate of Heaven Cemetery
in Hawthorne, NY. In
lieu of flowers, donations may
be made in Scatena’s name
to the North Shore Animal
League, 25 Davis Ave., Port
Washington, NY 11050, or to
the Queens Public Library
Foundation and designated
towards children’s materials
for Whitestone Library.
Reach reporter Carlotta
Mohamed by e-mail at cmohamed@
schnepsmedia.com or
by phone at (718) 260–4526.
Whitestone children’s librarian, Susan Scatena, who had a profound
love of reading and encouraged children to read and explore
the world, died on Jan. 10. Photo courtesy of Queens Public Library
Queens Public Library mourns loss
of beloved Whitestone librarian
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