Julie Beddingfield, the owner of Inkwood Books on Kings Highway and a generous, active member of the Haddonfield community, was named the 2022 Citizen of the Year on March 19 at the Mayor's Breakfast, hosted by the Haddonfield Area Lions. Beddingfield has lived in the borough for 15 years with her husband and two sons, who will graduate from Haddonfield Memorial High School this year.
Beddington She was born and raised in Florida and spent time in Chicago and Raleigh, North Carolina. She graduated from Loyola University in Chicago and went on to earn her J.D. with honors at the University of Florida’s Fredric G. Levin College of Law.
Beddingfield’s nominator wrote, “She displays a steadfast dedication to causes she holds dear and makes room to support them in every professional endeavor she has embarked upon. And perhaps most important especially at this moment in time, she has demonstrated an enthusiastic optimism about Haddonfield’s spirit, future, and legacy.”
Some of Beddingfield's accomplishments include spearheading community-wide environmental programs and serving as the Chair of the Haddonfield Environmental Commission, where she was approached by a Haddonfield High School senior for help with obtaining a bronze-level Sustainable Jersey certification for our town. Together, they involved other high school students, borough and school district leaders, and civic stakeholders in multiple projects. These included, among others, the installation of rain gardens on Lincoln Avenue, the launch of both a borough- and school-wide pilot food waste composting program, and an anti-idling awareness campaign. They also created a Green Business recognition program that publicly commends local businesses for adopting environmentally responsible and sustainable practices. This work led to the founding of Sustainable Haddonfield, an organization that Julie chaired for several years and that oversaw the work necessary to attain a silver-level Sustainable Jersey certification and a $10,000 grant to develop a Green Building and Sustainability Element for the town’s Master Plan.
As the owner of Inkwood Books, Julie encourages customers to join her in supporting the causes dearest to her heart. She utilizes her store and social media presence as a platform for a diversity of ideas. She hosts many authors and programs for readers of all ages and donates books to Camden and has hosted many school book fairs.
In addition to the Citizen of the Year award, the Lions gave the William Hansen Youth of the Year award to an outstanding HMHS student, Madeleine Cush, and awards for service to Julia Hart, Matthew Leming, and Owen Breen. The Hansen award recognizes students for exceptional volunteer work and commitment to helping others.