Man returns statue 43 years overdue
Nearly 43 years ago, a young boy borrowed a small marble sculpture from the Rochester Central Library to help him through dark times. This weekend, the statue came full circle when it returned to its original home.
The childhood of Scott Stewart, 52, of Rochester was plagued with abuse, but he sought refuge at the downtown library. In 1971, the nine-year-old spent his days perusing items on the shelves and often borrowed art pieces to adorn his home.
"The house I lived in was really horrendous and I wanted to surround it with the comfort of the library," said Stewart. "I would always take things back, except this one piece. I felt like I couldn't part with it."
Stewart said, to him the statue of an owl protecting its babies represented his mother's best efforts to care for him and his brother. Though the sculpture wasn't his property, he said the piece brought him strength and peace in turbulent times.
"I hung on to that thing and cherished it," he said. "I treated it like it was gold."
Stewart became an emancipated minor at 13-years-old and spent the rest of his youth in and out of foster homes around Rochester. It took years for him to cope with his childhood abuse and come out on the other side as a survivor. Forty-three years later, Stewart finally felt that the statue had fulfilled its purpose.
Stewart came to the Central Library on Sunday morning to returned an item that was long overdue.
"I felt like after all these years I was finally able to close the door on that chapter," he said. "It was quite exhilarating. "
Although the sculptures collection no longer exists, a library clerk welcomed the statue back with open arms and, needless to say, pardoned Stewart of his overdue fines.
"When we have a story like this it makes us pause and makes us appreciate what we do," said Ove Overmyer, communication associate for the Monroe County Library System. "He was looking for a symbol of comfort and he found it at the library."
NUPADHYE@Gannett.com
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