Helen Claire and Cameron Adams are gone but their memory will live on through a large donation for the betterment of the Sequim Library.

Both were longtime residents of the Sequim area, having been among the first to reside at Mains Farm near the Dungeness Spit. Both were very active in the community and avid patrons of the library.

"We are so grateful for Helen Adams’ wonderful generosity," said Sue Cohn, chairman of the North Olympic Library System board. "It will truly be a lasting gift to the (Sequim) Library and the Sequim community."

The donation comes at an opportune time for the Sequim Library. The library system approved plans May 22 to renovate the building, combining some of the Adamses’ bequest with a $150,000 donation from the Friends of the Sequim Library and a $60,500 investment from the library system.

Library director Paula Barnes discussed the option of using the Adamses’ donation of $190,000 for the renovation project with longtime friends and family trust advisors Ron Bell and Jeanne Martin, both from Sequim.

Both Martin and Bell agreed that updating and upgrading the Sequim Branch would be an appropriate use.

"Helen and Cameron enjoyed and appreciated the library throughout their lives," Martin said. "Helen would be delighted to know that her bequest will mean a brighter, more cheerful and attractive library for the people of Sequim and the Dungeness Valley."

The Adamses came to Sequim in 1974 after Cameron retired from the Washington State Department of Agriculture. Helen also worked for the Department of Agriculture and was employed by the Washington State Department of Public Service.

Cameron died in 1993 and Helen died in November 2007, at the age of 94. After her husband was gone, Helen remained active in the Sequim Rotary Club and was an avid volunteer with the Sequim Dungeness Hospital Guild.

For more information on the renovations, contact Barnes at 417-8525 or director@hols.org. For general information on the library system, visit www.nols.org.