Metuchen Public Library establishes civil rights collection thanks to 'true icon'

METUCHEN – A revered community member, the late Martin Spritzer, a former Metuchen Borough attorney, was committed to the cause of civil rights from the start of his law career.

His advocacy now fittingly continues through a contribution to the Metuchen Public Library from the Martin Spritzer Fund, which establishes a collection of more than 120 books and two dozen DVDs dedicated to civil rights and America’s historic struggles against racism.

The collection, which will continue to expand, provides appropriate civil rights-focused content spanning the past and present in the genres of nonfiction, biography, and fiction for children, young adults, and adults.

The contribution was celebrated along with Spritzer’s memory during a dedication ceremony at the Metuchen Public Library on Saturday.

To commemorate the occasion, Sen. Patrick Diegnan, Assemblymembers Robert Karabinchak and Sterley Stanley honored Spritzer with a Joint Legislative Resolution from the Senate and General Assembly.

Diegnan presented a framed copy of the resolution to Spritzer’s son, Evan, who attended the event in person, and daughter, Dinah, who participated virtually.

“Martin has been described as a true icon in Metuchen, so it seems apropos that his legacy be allowed to endure at the public library in the borough he loved,” Diegnan said. “A community advocate and mentor to many, Martin made a profound impact on Metuchen and beyond. This donation allows his dedication to the cause of civil rights to reach others in a fitting place where visitors come to learn and grow.”

The chair of more than 10 organizations including the Metuchen-Edison Race Relations Council and the Middlesex County Human Relations Commission, Spritzer served as borough attorney for 16 years. He was integral in the establishment of the Metuchen Community Pool, Metuchen YMCA expansion and Main Street development.

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A graduate of Highland Park High School (1945), Spritzer was also an alumnus of Rutgers University (1948) and Harvard Law School (1951). After settling in Metuchen, Spritzer practiced law in the borough and neighboring Edison for 42 years.

NAACP Metuchen-Edison Branch President Reginald Johnson said the Ivy League-educated Spritzer “sacrificed a more lucrative career to serve the underdog,” noting Spritzer was critical in improving race relations and uniting the community.

Mayor Jonathan Busch said Spritzer was a dedicated activist who played a significant role in ushering Metuchen through the Civil Rights Era. He called Spritzer a “steady hand during the ’60s and ’70s, a period of great change in Metuchen.”

Borough Council President Jason Delia said Spritzer’s contributions to Metuchen helped create “the inclusive and welcoming community that we all get to be a part of today.”

Attendees of Saturday’s event received a first look at the special collection made possible through the generosity of the Martin Spritzer Fund, and learned about civil rights and human relations in Metuchen, past and present.

Spritzer defended the right for a moment of silence to be conducted at government meetings and was fittingly honored with one at a borough council meeting days after his passing.

Spritzer died in December 2019 at the age of 92 at Galloway Ridge, a retirement home in Fearrington Village, Pittsboro, North Carolina, where he remained active in Democratic politics. Spritzer served on the Chatham County Human Relations Commission and chaired the Fearrington Village Democratic Club.

Beyond community service, Spritzer’s biggest cause was family. In addition to raising two children, Spritzer and his wife, Lola, to whom he was wed for 64 years, had four grandchildren.

“As a child it looked to me that my father’s principal occupation was me,” Evan Spritzer said, noting that as a byproduct of growing up around influential borough leaders, such as former mayors Donald Wernik and John Wiley, “a certain moral energy became a big part of my upbringing.”

The mission statement of the Martin Spritzer Fund, which is to raise “awareness for equity, civil rights and anti-racism,” and a quote from Spritzer, which reads, “you have to be fair to all of the people,” is stamped inside every book of the library collection bearing his name.

Metuchen Public Library Director Hsi Hsi Chung said the Martin Spritzer Fund’s contribution will “enhance our collection to educate and inform the community about important social issues.”

A webpage on the library website is devoted to the books and DVDs which compose the Martin Spritzer collection. The webpage also contains a link to biographical information about Spritzer.

Spritzer's countless contributions over 30 years resulted in numerous accolades, including Gov. Thomas Kean’s appointment of him in 1988 to the statewide Martin Luther King Commemorative Commission.

“In many ways,” said Wiley, who was among a dozen speakers during Saturday’s ceremony, “this community owes Martin a great deal.”

This article originally appeared on MyCentralJersey.com: Metuchen Public Library civil rights collection established