On Wednesday November 16th at 7pm, join Gordon Hayward at Putney Library for a presentation and reading of “Greek Epic: The Latchis Family and the New England Theater Empire They Built,” a fascinating and lively book that combines local history and personal stories with sweeping themes in the news today – immigration, the American Dream, and the importance of family, community and culture.
Author Gordon Hayward, a nationally acclaimed garden designer, writer and lecturer, and current president of Latchis Arts, the non-profit organization which oversees the Latchis Memorial Building, spent more than a year conducting scores of interviews with local historians, Latchis staff and board members past and present, dozens of the Latchis family members and even the granddaughter of Louis Jambor, the famed artist who painted the murals on the Latchis Theatre walls.
Friends of the Latchis and fans of local history will revel in the story of the now nearly 80-year-old art deco Latchis Memorial Building, which the family built in 1938 to honor the work of their patriarch, Demetrios. He immigrated from Greece in 1901, arrived in Brattleboro and began as a fruit peddler, working his way up to business owner and head of a theater empire. Local readers will also appreciate Hayward’s insights into the history and importance of the arts in Brattleboro and the extraordinary people – Rudyard Kipling, Blanche Moyse, Rudolf Serkin, Robert Flaherty, architect William Rutherford Mead, and the Estey Family among them – who have lived and made their art here.
Vermonters throughout the state will learn about the importance of historic buildings and cultural centers like the Latchis in maintaining the health of their downtowns and their communities. Furthermore, the book, is testament to the crucial role non-profits organizations and the volunteer spirit play in the health and success of our communities and to the ways the non-profit and for-profit sectors can work together to make common goals happen.
Gordon will have copies of the book for sale at the event for $22.50, cash or check. The entire cost of the book goes to support Latchis Arts and sustaining the Theatre and programming.
Putney Library is located at 55 Main Street in Putney, VT. This program is free and open to the public.