When George Schermerhorn presented a plaque to Nancy Adams, he had to read what it says.

She was too choked up.

"Nancy J. Adams, Whitehall Township Public Library director, 1998-2013," read Schermerhorn at an open house at the library June 8. "In grateful recognition of exemplary, faithful and unselfish service rendered in the interest of the patrons of the library, in honor of her retirement."

At the bottom of the plaque are the names of the seven members of the board of trustees – President Schermerhorn, Vice President Michael Gerould, Secretary Judith R. Ott, Treasurer Daria Gehris, Helga Grundman, Kyle Kern and Colleen M. Webster.

"I always do this," said Adams, fighting tears. "But never when I'm sad."

The plaque will be hung in the library in her honor. However, because Adams retired in January, she won't be able to enjoy it. So, the trustees presented her with a similar plaque to take home. The wording is the same, except it also says, "best wishes for a happy retirement" and a note that the good wishes also come from staff, friends and library patrons.

Schermerhorn also introduced the audience of about 30 people to new library Director Patty Vahey, who began her duties May 1 after moving from Bloomington, Ind.

Schermerhorn said the Whitehall library board first met Vahey during a Skype interview.

When it was all over, he said, "Two board members said, 'Let's call her right back.'"

The short presentation also included the awarding of the first Nancy J. Adams Scholarship to graduating Whitehall senior Amanda Ceasar of Coplay. She will attend Kutztown University for a dual major in education and special education with an emphasis on visual impairment.

The idea for the scholarship came from the Friends of the Whitehall Township Public Library group, said its president, Nick Potenzi.

"When Nancy told us she was going to retire, we were all thinking of what we could do," said Potenzi after the presentation. "We wanted to incorporate everything that Nancy stood for."

The friends wanted the scholarship to go to someone graduating from Whitehall High School who would be pursuing a career in library science, education or community development – all the things Nancy did, he said.

"The scholarship was to say 'thank you' to Nancy and to let everybody know that those kinds of ideals pay off," Potenzi said.

The ideal candidate would be a well rounded contributor to the community rather than just someone with a high grade-point average.

What clinched it for Ceasar was her essay, written in response to the question of how the library played a role in the student's education.

"She wrote an outstanding essay," said Potenzi, describing Ceaser as "the whole package.

"She wrote exactly what we hoped somebody would write."

Ceasar said her sister, Victoria, was her inspiration. Victoria graduated from Kutztown and now teaches visually impaired students in Berks County.

"I was her guinea pig for a lot of her homework assignments so it really opened my eyes [to the need]," Amanda Ceasar said.

Potenzi said the Friends hope to award the Nancy J. Adams Scholarship annually.

"If we could get out to businesses and people in the township that this is the kind of things we're doing, that in turn would promote the library," he said.

The Friends group is currently seeking new members, who do not have to be Whitehall residents. Anyone interested should email Potenzi at nickpotenzi@yahoo.com.