Sonia Taub
Librarian, Curator, Preservationist
Marion "Sonia" Clesner was born August 8, 1927, in Revere, MA. Sonia grew up in Lebanon, NH, and graduated high school in 1945. She received her B.A. degree from Radcliffe College in Cambridge, MA, in 1949, finishing second in her class. She obtained a master’s degree in Library Science in 1951 from Columbia University. While taking classes at Columbia, she worked in the chemistry library, and after graduation, as a children's librarian for the Brooklyn Public Library System.
In 1948, Sonia met her future husband, Lewis Taub, on a three-month bicycle trip across North America.
They began their journey in Massachusetts, where they rode the train to Montreal, along with their biking gear. They rode across Canada to Calgary, Vancouver, and then down to Seattle. The final leg had them ride back to the East Coast. When they ended the trip, Lewis proposed.
Sonia and Lewis moved to Saratoga Springs in 1952 as “young kids.” Lewis opened an optometry office at 417 Broadway, and Sonia took a position as the children's librarian at the newly constructed Saratoga Springs Public Library. She thoroughly enjoyed her job, but soon decided to take time off to raise her family.
She later returned to work in the reference department in the Public Library. Sonia always had a love of Saratoga Springs history, and specialized as the head of the Saratoga Room at the library.
She always enjoyed helping researchers with their questions about Saratoga Springs history, so working directly with this repository came naturally to her. Sonia played a critical role in increasing the collection and making it accessible to the public.
She retired from the Saratoga Room in 1982 and continued to be active in the community, including as a board member of the Saratoga Springs Preservation Foundation, where she worked on the historic-house plaque program. She spent countless hours with Lewis researching properties at the Saratoga County complex in Ballston Spa, garnering information and writing house histories for the Foundation.
Sonia was also a member of the Saratoga Springs Design Review Commission. One of her proudest achievements was influencing the design of a gas station that was built on the site of Walworth Mansion on Broadway. The owner desired to renovate the station into a very modern building. This was met with opposition. The building needed upgrades and something had to be done. Sonia proposed that the building be renovated to take on a Victorian appearance. Today the station is now a Stewart's Shop, but it still retains the features proposed by Sonia. In 1991 Mayor A.C. Dake appointed Sonia to serve on the advisory board of the Urban Cultural Park Visitor Center, and she completed a term as Chairman of Board.
She had a love of all things Saratoga. Not long after she and Lewis moved to Saratoga Springs, she went into an antique shop in Rock City Falls and met Minnie Bolster. Sonia was beginning to collect historical memorabilia of Saratoga Springs. Minnie had many rare engravings for sale, and she happened to have a Milbert that Sonia was very interested in. The two spent time arguing over a price.
Minnie made the sale, and a longtime friendship was sparked. Minnie encouraged Sonia to become a member of the Historic Society of Saratoga Springs. She joined, and became one of the Society’s most active members. The print she purchased from Minnie sparked her interest in engravings of Saratoga Springs. She decided to curate an exhibit that focused on the earliest part the city's history.
Sonia tracked down over 50 extremely rare engravings. woodcuts and lithographs to create an exhibit titled “Saratoga Springs: Elegant and Fashionable, as Seen Through the Eyes of Artists and the Words of Writers, 1787-1847.” The exhibit opened in 1983 was displayed in the Anne Grey Gallery for five weeks. It received praise and accolades from the community and beyond.
Sonia was not a native Saratogian, but she taught us that you do not have to be born in a community to truly love the town and make major contributions to the preservation of its history.