Ruth Lang, the woman whose vision to turn Jericho's modest, rural school district of the 1960s into a modern, sophisticated learning institution was rivaled in ambition only by her fruitful quest to build Jericho its own public library, died on Friday, March 10.

Unlike many communities whose old-fashioned, historic main streets are considered their hubs of activity, Jericho is more known and cherished for its nationally-acclaimed schools and the resourceful, culturally-dynamic library. The influence of Lang still resonates in these buildings.

"She'll be remembered," said Selma Constant, who served on the Jericho school board in the '60s. "If there was anything good going on in Jericho, she was in the middle of it."

A devoted, well-spoken English teacher at Kennedy High School in Plainview, who was known for being a stickler for grammar, Lang moved to the Princeton Park area of Jericho approximately 40 years ago, to find a budding community that was rapidly using up its paltry educational resources.

In response, she founded the Friends of the Library committee, and provided leadership to upstart organization Citizens for a Better Education. Both groups were formed to convince local residents that changes were essential, and their members worked tirelessly, often going door to door, to garner support.

The Library

Even four decades ago, Jericho was one of only four Nassau County communities that did not have its own library. Jericho residents would usually drive to Hicksville, Syosset or Westbury to borrow books. Friends of the Library discovered that residents were spending $15,000 annually on non-residents fees at other libraries.

Lang's sister, Joan Cohen, said, "My sister was a reader, and probably the fact that there was no library here bothered her terribly." Cohen moved to Jericho several years after Lang did, and she still resides in the community today.

"It was a very forward-looking community, and [yet] we didn't have a library," said Constant. "Ruth believed this was tragic."

Prior to Lang's involvement, earlier committees were formed to gain public support for a hometown library, but opposition quashed such movements in 1960 and 1961. Lang and her supporters launched a widespread campaign to make the concept of a library more popular, handing out fliers and greeting neighbors.

"It took a few years, but she was absolutely relentless," said Howard Jankowitz, former president of the Jericho school board, who was part of the district's educational turnaround. At the time, several newcomers to the Jericho board of education were already opening the district to new possibilities, and Lang knew that if the public was in favor of the library, the school board had enough progressive-minded people to approve it.

Another part of the task was finding the property upon which to build the library. After locating a potential site, Friends of the Library came up with a solution for a temporary structure to house books - a foreclosed bank with portable offices - until construction of a true library was completed.

The $61,280 library proposal, which was double the amount that was to be expended for the failed library proposals earlier that decade, was welcomed by an overwhelming majority when the proposal went to vote in 1964.

Though it had begun operating by the mid-'60s, the library, in its finished form, celebrated its official grand opening in 1967. Since then, the library has underwent several expansion phases, one under Lang's supervision. Lang served as the first president of the library board of trustees, and was president for three non-concurrent terms.

Bernice Baiman, a supporter of Lang and a former school board member, said, "It was the efforts of people like Ruth Lang and her supporters that really brought the library to fruition."

The School District

In the fall of 1998, the Jericho School District held a major bond referendum to vastly expand its building space and facilities, in a movement to keep up with a booming population.

There was a major shift in population size in Jericho in the late '50s and early '60s as well, but the school board at that time was not nearly as prepared for the increase, nor were they seemingly concerned that the humble potato farms of Jericho were turning into homes with new families and more children.

"In the early '60s, there were hundreds of families moving into Jericho and the schools needed an upgrading," said Jankowitz.

Said Constant, "The board of education did not understand that Jericho was growing into an upwardly mobile community, and we wanted all our kids to go to college, and if not that, we wanted them to get the best education possible. We were willing to sacrifice for that." Constant said that the schools were teaching just the basics, offering no AP or enrichment courses.

The CBE group, Citizens for a Better Education, began to identify which administration members were curtailing the progress of the educational system, and sought to replace them with newcomers who shared its philosophy for growth.

The CBE was responsible for the election of a new core of board members who were looking toward a bright future for the Jericho educational system.

"This effort was the beginning of the turnaround of Jericho schools," said Jankowitz.

"The people of the community became very interested in the betterment of education ...and through that hard work, they turned the school district around," said Baiman.

Lang, born in New York City in 1926, was one of three siblings. She is survived by two children, David Lang and Ava Lang-Soffer, and four grandchildren, Jordan, Daniel, Benjamin and Madeleine, two from each child. Lang moved to Bayside two years ago.

Lang attended Brooklyn College, and in addition to teaching, she also became involved in design. For several years Lang served as the director of the Metropolitan Institute of Design in Plainview. She even once ran a nursery school out of her home because no such service existed near Jericho.

"She was an extraordinary lady," said Cohen. "Behind the scenes, she was very influential... she was very quiet, very ladylike and very modest."