The book was discovered in the attic of the former mayor's Bound Brook home by his daughter.
BOUND BROOK -- Former Mayor Frank Ryan won't have to go to jail as he has jokingly feared. The library fees he incurred for a book 72 years overdue have been waived.
On Monday morning, Ryan came to the Bound Brook Memorial Library to return "Football Through The Years" after it was discovered in his attic last December. The due date was June 8, 1944.
Ryan, 84, returned the book, which was in "excellent" condition, during a celebratory ceremony at the library. His daughter, Karen Ryan, grandson Ross Ryan, Bound Brook Mayor Robert Fazen and former borough Police Chief Anthony Cimino, who served from 1982 to 1997, were among the more than 25 people in attendance, some of whom were at the library reading and just joined in.
"The former police chief cracked jokes about putting Mr. Ryan in jail," said Carolann DeMatos, director of marketing for the Somerset County Library System. "Mr. Ryan is adorable. He was very sweet. It was such a fabulous event. It was a community celebration. A lot of Mr. Ryan's old friends came by. It was a great atmosphere."
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Ryan, a former two-term borough mayor who served from 1999 to 2007 and while growing up had been quarterback for the Bound Brook High School football team, shared memories of growing up in the borough with the crowd, DeMatos said. He admitted he didn't actually read the book, which was about college football, she said. He confessed that he just looked at the pictures. He later lost track of it.
In December 2015, Ryan's wife of 63 years, Rachel, died. She was the head cheerleader at Bound Brook High School when Ryan played quarterback.
Several days after the funeral, Karen Ryan, his daughter, and his son, Frank Ryan, Jr., came to their dad's Bound Brook home to help him clean out barrels in the attic, DeMatos said. His daughter discovered the book in one of those barrels, DeMatos said.
The book, published in 1940, and the articles documenting its discovery will be placed in an "Archives Collection," that focuses on Bound Brook's community history, DeMatos said. Ryan was given a new gold library card, she said.
Dave Hutchinson may be reached at dhutchinson@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @DHutch_SL. Find NJ.com on Facebook.