Video: John Noonan, street poet, will be celebrated tonight at Morristown’s Willow Hall

John Noonan spent 20 years in France working for a global economic organization. Before that, he did a stint on a salmon fishing boat in Alaska.

But poetry remained his passion. He started writing as a teenager in Morristown and continued until his death from cancer last year at age 57.

Tonight John Noonan’s poetry will be celebrated at Willow Hall, near his boyhood home.

“This is an opportunity to keep him alive in a way he would appreciate,” said his sister, Margaret Noonan. “He wrote this to be heard. I feel responsible for making sure it doesn’t fade away.”

The readings start at 7:30. Admission is free. Parking is available behind the Columbia Club on Speedwell Avenue.

The Noonans are prominent in Morristown life. Michael Noonan, Margaret’s brother, is the town’s municipal judge. Margaret played a pivotal role in the preservation of Willow Hall. She also teaches drama in area schools and is a seasoned playwright and actress; her comedic gifts were showcased in Good For the Earth, the winning entry in this year’s MorristownGreen.com Film Festival.

John Noonan was an ardent human rights activist with great empathy, Margaret said. One of the poems she recites in this video was written for John Lennon shortly after the ex-Beatle’s murder, 30 years ago this month.