With tears in his eyes, an emotional Fred B. (Ted) Morgan Jr. stood at a podium to thank his number one supporter through the past 65 years of his life. The hundreds of people gathered to honor Mr. Morgan with a 2010 lifetime achievement award from the Edgartown Library Foundation sat silently as the guest of honor graciously acknowledged his wife, Floss, for seeing him through thick and thin for the better part of a century.

“I have a great family, extended family, friends. But there is one person that’s stood by me all these years — almost 65 now,” said Mr. Morgan. “I don’t know how she’s put up with me,” he joked.

Mr. Morgan was the honoree at the library foundation’s annual summer brunch fundraiser, held Sunday afternoon at the Boathouse Field Club in Katama, under a tent full of crisp white-dressed tables and periwinkle hydrangea blossom centerpieces.

Steve Ewing was the first to take the podium to speak in honor of Mr. Morgan. As the son of one of Mr. Morgan’s contemporaries, the late Harvey Ewing, the younger Mr. Ewing also got to know Mr. Morgan as a politician and role model.

“When I think of Mr. Morgan, I can’t help but think of my father,” said Mr. Ewing. Both men were World War II veterans, decorated war heroes and lovers of Martha’s Vineyard. Both men settled here after the war to start their families and became active members of the community in the ensuing years. “My dad became a newspaperman and covered the Vineyard from the mid 1950s through the 1980s. Ted dove into politics and helped shape the course of the town and the Island for almost 40 years,” said Mr. Ewing. And the characters of both men were shaped by that unforgettable war, he said.

“I constantly butted heads with both of them,” said Mr. Ewing. “But as time went on, I realized, without even really knowing it, I was constantly learning from both of them . . . From Ted, I learned about commitment and perseverance. No matter what project I worked on, or belief I had, whenever Ted Morgan got involved, the outcome was always better for it.”

As a tribute to his friend and mentor, Mr. Ewing recited a poem that he’d written in his honor. It would be the first of two poems recited for the honoree at the brunch. Mr. Ewing’s poem referred to Mr. Morgan’s recurring presence each year, marching in Edgartown’s Fourth of July Parade:

“Right up front every year, the colonel’s in his full dress gear. Proudly steering the parade, festive cheering, smiles and waves.

“Through the town he helped to lead, though the years, his share of deeds. Too long to list, all Ted’s achieved,” Mr. Ewing read.

In a surprise departure from the afternoon’s program, Edgartown harbor master Charlie Blair followed Mr. Ewing to the podium to read another poem written on Mr. Morgan’s behalf. “The greatest gift he could offer, so often missed by others in town, he taught us well what makes the world go round. To live our lives fully and to follow his lead, for the love of a town,” read Mr. Blair.

The celebration of Mr. Morgan was the highlight of the sophisticated affair, which kicked off at noon with a raffle and silent auction to benefit the library foundation. Library supporters sipped mimosas and white wine and sampled fresh fruit and cheese platters as they bid on items such as a two-hour tour of Chappaquiddick with author Edo Potter, or a spa day for two at the Boathouse Field Club.

Ann Tyra, a member of the board of trustees, looked out over the crowd with a grateful smile. The large turnout could be attributed to a combination of gracious library supporters and those devoted to Mr. Morgan, she said.

The event was a foodie’s dream — beginning with the light hors d’oeuvres, followed by a brunch of creamy chicken salad, grilled veggies, quiche, salmon, pastries and croissants. The wait staff stood nearby as the guests cleared their main course plates, ready to serve up the final dish: A decadent dessert sample platter that included raspberry-topped cheesecake, key lime pie and rich chocolate mousse.

As the crowd indulged its sweet tooth, Edgartown school seventh grader Gabriella Hoxsie braved the podium to read her grand-prize winning submission to this year’s annual Edgartown Library essay contest. Her essay compared the library to a giant chocolate bar: once you dive in, you never want to stop. As part of her prize, which included a laptop computer, the foundation gave Ms. Hoxsie a bar of chocolate resembling a Hershey bar. Across the front, the silver lettering read: Library.

On behalf of the new library design committee, which was formed to carve out a new plan for the ongoing library renovation project, member Chris Scott rose to update the library’s supporters. He said the committee is slowly but surely making progress, and working diligently to take advantage of every opportunity for funding available to the town.

“Like many public projects, there are a lot of twists, and turns and bumps in the road,” said Mr. Scott. The October deadline for the next round of state grant funding for the project continues to creep closer, but he said that he’s confident the committee will have a project proposal in time for a fall town meeting.

“We want to deliver at town meeting a request to the voters, which is undoubtedly going to be in the millions of dollars, for the best possible facility for this town. And we’re all here today obviously to support the foundation,” Mr. Scott said.