CHICAGO — Growing up, Amy Williamson always had a book in her hand, thanks to her mom, Geraldine.
In honor of her mother's upcoming 90th birthday, Williamson, of Lincoln Square, wanted to return the favor to students on the West Side, where Williamson's dad, Gordon, taught for 25 years.
On Tuesday, after months of collecting books, Williamson, her sister, Megan, and members of the volunteer organization Books First donated 3,241 books to Faraday Elementary.
Williamson saved one book for her mom as a present for her birthday Friday.
"Our goal was 900 books because she was turning 90," Williamson said. "But when people heard we needed books for children, so many of them cleared out their book shelves."
Geraldine Williamson was a longtime volunteer at Vernon Township Library, which donated dozens of books to the cause. Donations also came from suburban-based Friends of Batavia Library. Many of the books arrived from Williamson's family — she is one of five siblings — and friends.
They chose West Side Faraday because Gordon Williamson loved his quarter century of instructing architectural drafting at Westinghouse.
"He loved teaching in that neighborhood and those kids," Amy Williamson said of her late father. "He thought it was a really important thing to do in his life."
Amy and Megan, of Wicker Park, crammed two cars with boxes of books, plus 12 new backpacks filled with literature, on Tuesday. Faraday's billboard sign greeted them and Books First volunteers with a note reading "Thank You Bookfirst Books."
"We would love if people would copy our idea and donate books in honor of someone's birthday," Williamson said. "It would be great if people ripped off our idea and got more books on the West Side."
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