The Beginning of David S. Kitson Library

One day, about ten years ago, Jim Cobb a Nosara resident, was on his way to Nicoya, a town about an hour and a half from the Beaches of Nosara project where he and his wife owned a home. Halfway there, his motorcycle had a flat tire.

Jim was standing beside the road, removing a motorcycle wheel with a flat tire.  A friend stopped to offer assistance, a ride to Nicoya to have the tire repaired.  On the way, Jim mentioned that he was exploring some way to honor the name of his uncle, David S. Kitson.  The two had been very close, almost like brothers, all their lives.  (David had recently died after a long struggle with cancer.)

Jim and Melissa had been thinking of buying a copy machine for the local property owners association in memory of Jim's uncle, or erect a monument, or perhaps a bridge named in the honor of David Kitson. But they were open for suggestions.

His friend pointed out: "If you donate a copy machine, in a couple of years it will be trash in this climate. A bridge? When the government widens the road a few years from now, the bridge will go.  Besides, who reads plaques on a bridge or monument?. Why don't we start a library?  A library could last forever, serving the community for a hundred years.  A library would be an idea David would endorse rather than a copy machine. If we call it the David S. Kitson Memorial Library, David would be honored forever."

That very day, they started collecting money from local people. By the end of the weekend, over $3,000 had been collected.  The library was underway!  Most people donated enthusiastically.  Jim Cobb says, "The fund raising was a joy all in itself. Seemed like every day during that time and even now, someone wants money. However, all I had to do then was to explain our plan and the checks poured in, thousand dollar checks were the norm. David was highly respected and everyone realized what he had done for the village of Nosara, for the Beaches of Nosara, and the country of Costa Rica."

Of course, there was a certain amount of negative reaction, with some people saying, "These people don't read. You would be wasting your money." The fund raiser's reply was, "Turtles don't fly, either, but if we gave them wings, maybe they would fly."  Gradually most of Nosara's residents came around to appreciating the concept of a library, and it has received enthusiastic support ever since.

An interesting sidelight of the fund-raising: In order to get the attention of the community, the committee posted notices in English and Spanish throughout the community, asking for help in starting a public library. A group of younger Costa Rican couples with children joined in the effort by supporting the idea with enthusiasm, if not with financial support. 

Unknown to the fund raisers, it turns out that an election was coming up. These younger people were running against the entrenched old-guard politicians.  Their platform consisted, among other things, demanding that the government give the community a high school and a library.  Those in power had been saying, in effect, "Don't vote for these upstarts. We all know they are just lackeys for the rich gringo expats. And we all know that gringos are only interested in drinking and chasing women."

But when people saw the posters from gringo expats requesting donations for a library, that convinced them how to vote.  The old guard was defeated, something the pro-administration politicos hadn't counted on.  The top officials of the administration took notice.  Shortly after the election, the officials said, "Oh, why didn't you say you wanted a high school?" A high school opened its doors the next school term.  Today, the high school is a beautiful modern facility that serves children for many kilometers around. Without the library, it may never have happened.

The Original 15 Founders of the Library

Fifteen donors were originally honored as Library Founders, as listed on the original library's wall.  The library founders were:

1. Jim and Melissa Cobb	8. Terry and Diane Kennedy
2. John and Sherry Howells	9. Beverly S. Kitson
3. Peter and Faith Burke	10. Craig and Madelyn Moore
4. Mimi Hammond	11. Dennis Reece
5. Richard and Roberta Johnson	12. William and Ann Scarlett
6. Charlotte Mills	13. Edwin and Ruth Wheeler
7. Jorge Eladio Mora	14. Alden David Kitson
	15. Olga Marta Sancho

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