Margaret Mary Kimmel, ALSC President (1982-1983), died on June 10th at the age of 76.
Maggie Kimmel was a force of nature and she carried many students, colleagues and friends along in her wake. From her initial teaching as a part-time instructor at Catholic University in Washington, D.C., to a two year stint as a visiting professor at the College of Librarianship in Wales, her time at Simmons College in Boston and her long tenure as a full-time professor the University of Pittsburgh, Maggie influenced countless numbers of future librarians, authors and teachers. As an active member of the ALSC, she served on many committees and worked tirelessly to advance the profession and enhance children’s services at libraries all around the country. In recognition of her many contributions, Maggie received the ALSC Distinguished Service Award in 2001.
In addition to furthering the work of ALSC, her committee work also provided fodder for a wealth of entertaining anecdotes which she shared freely (and embellished occasionally) to great effect. Since retiring from the University of Pittsburgh, Maggie turned her energy toward efforts to improve services and opportunities for individuals with disabilities. She helped to create the Center for Women with Disabilities at Magee Women’s Hospital and served on the board of the FISA Foundation.
Ultimately, Maggie was much more than the sum of her incredibly impressive accomplishments, both personal and professional. Her warmth, wit and presence will be sorely missed—but wherever stories are told, books are cherished and good conversations flow, Maggie’s spirit will be present.
Donations in memory of Dr. Margaret Kimmel may be made to: Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh Development Office, 4400 Forbes Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15213 (for the distribution of children’s books to children and families in need) or toCanterbury Place, 310 Fisk Street Pittsburgh, PA 15201.
Send condolences at post-gazette.com/gb – See more at: http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/postgazette/obituary.aspx?n=margaret-mary-kimmel&pid=171350926&fhid=9810#sthash.y5SVJeAL.dpuf
Notes of condolence can be sent to her sister:
Cathy Kimmel
822 South Trenton Avenue
Pittsburgh, PA 15221
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Our guest blogger today is Lisa Dennis, Coordinator of Children’s Collections at the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh.
Please note that as a guest post, the views expressed here do not represent the official position of ALA or ALSC.
If you’d like to write a guest post for the ALSC Blog, please contact Mary Voors, ALSC Blog manager, at [email protected].
A leader in our profession, Marilyn L. Miller, ALSC President (1979 -1980), died on May 22nd at the age of 83. Lillian Gerhardt offers a memorial tribute:
A few years ago, I stumbled on a statement that brought our late, great Marilyn Miller to mind. It is from an essay by mid-20th century America’s most influential journalist, Walter Lippmann, after the death of FDR. He said that “The genius of a great leader is to leave behind him a situation that common sense can deal with successfully.”
Change that “him” to “her” and you will have a clear picture of MLM’s leadership as president of not only one but two of the American Library Association’s youth services divisions (AASL and ALSC) and on through her presidency of all of ALA. Marilyn’s management of both her own life as well as her life’s work on behalf of libraries and librarians was certainly commonsensical. Add to that her good mind, her good nature, her sense of humor plus a warm and welcoming cordiality with people young and old and you will cease to wonder why she was continuously able through out her long career to under take big projects and to run for office in the state and national library organizations to which she belonged in Kansas, Michigan, and North Carolina and, of course, from the beginning of her career, ALA.
Marilyn had, from earliest childhood, a lifelong love affair with bound books. She was seldom without one in her purse or briefcase. The onrush of machines to gather, send, store and preserve all forms of information neither fazed nor over-impressed her. She never wavered in her conviction that all of the electricity dependent gadgets as well as bound books require– for every age level–skilled librarians to help to teach them, to help themselves to live, and to learn through every sort of format for their self-education and entertainment.
Last, but certainly not least, Marilyn was certain that today’s librarians need to continue to work at growing themselves and the strength of their profession through their active membership in their state associations as well as ALA.
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Our guest blogger today is Lillian Gerhardt. Lillian was ALSC President (1978-1979) and School Library Journal’s Editor-in-Chief (1972-1998).
Please note that as a guest post, the views expressed here do not represent the official position of ALA or ALSC.
If you’d like to write a guest post for the ALSC Blog, please contact Mary Voors, ALSC Blog manager, at [email protected].
With a very sad heart, I must report what many of you know already. Dr. Eliza Dresang, a beloved friend and colleague, died on the morning of April 21, 2014 at the age of 72. A library science professor, author, speaker, and active member and leader in ALSC, Dr. Dresang will be remembered as a strong advocate for children and libraries, but will also be remembered for her caring smile and sincere ability to really listen carefully and respectfully, helping each colleague she worked with grow and learn. It was an honor and a privilege to serve on the Notable Children’s Books committee when Eliza was chair. I learned so very much from her and it truly saddens me that I will no longer see her – or laugh with her – at Conferences. Her impact on my life will never be lost.
School Library Journal published an obituary which you can read here. Below, several of Dr. Dresang’s friends and colleagues offer memories and reflect on her impact on their lives.
Mike Rogalla, 2010 Notable Children’s Book Committee member, shares:
That Eliza was a woman of immense knowledge who contributed greatly to the study of children’s literature and championed library service to youth is undisputed. What impressed me most was her character. As someone new to a national level committee, not only did she focus in on my strengths and make me feel welcome, but she was always the teacher. That someone of her stature would value my views, my work, and my contributions was a badge of honor. In a career there are only a few who serve as benchmarks for how it should be done. Eliza’s voice will be there for me when an author’s or illustrator’s work comes into view.
Ginny Moore Kruse, Emerita Director, The CCBC, School of Education, UW-Madison, remembers:
Anyone who has served on an ALSC committee with Eliza or witnessed her in action on one of her campuses knows that she worked hard. Very hard. Last summer Eliza told me she no longer could get along on four hours of sleep a night, because she then required seven hours – and she wasn’t able to accomplish as much because she needed to sleep longer!
Those of us lucky enough to become acquainted with Eliza personally discovered that she also knew how to play. Very hard. Dinner at a funky restaurant? Check. Broadway show sandwiched between meetings? Ditto. Dart ball or an intriguing all-generation board game on New Years Eve? Yup, every year! Neighborhood party on the 4th of July? Not to be missed. Long trips and tours with best friends and new friends? Naturally. Annual reunions with extended family and personal friends? Of course.
What did working or playing with Eliza have in common? Wherever you met her, Eliza gave you her complete attention. That’s “you.” Not a generic acquaintance, but you. Who you were. Not so very different from what Eliza wrote in 1977 for SLJ after co-leading a CCBC workshop with me: There Are No Other Children. “Special” children were individuals, not “other” in her former elementary school library. And so were Eliza’s colleagues and friends. We were each singular, unique and valued, not “other.” We are so fortunate to have worked and/or played with this remarkable colleague and friend. There is no “other” Eliza – ever. Check.
Carol Hanson Sibley, Professor Emeritus from Minnesota State University Moorhead, writes:
I recently had the privilege to serve a 2-year-term with Eliza on the Phoenix Picture Book Award Committee for the Children’s Literature Association. We set up the guidelines for the award and selected the first two winners and honor books. She was instrumental in the initiation up of this new book award. Her comments were always thoughtful and full of insight. She was such a gentle soul. In fact, she was selected as the chair of this committee for this year. We met last in Biloxi, MS and I have fond memories of a trip to the Gulf in the early evening with Linnea Hendrickson. Together we appreciated the beauty of the setting. Eliza gave her all for the sake of children and children’s literature. We will all miss her greatly.
Ed Spicer, self-described Eliza Dresang fan and cheerleader, shares:
ALSC is filled with many smart, talented people and I have had the privilege of serving with many. Some have been the equal of Eliza Dresang but NONE are better. Eliza was the chair of the Notables Committee for my first year on the committee and she was amazing! She read as much as anyone despite the demands of being the chair, she answered committee questions the same day, she dealt with publishers with charm and grace, and so much more. Eliza was a person with whom you wanted to spend time, wanted her to speak about books, wanted her opinion. Yet she was happiest listening to others, even when (especially when??) that person disagreed with her. Eliza expected you to be smart and, consequently, you worked very hard to be better. I remember a time during our marathon Notable’s ALA discussions. We were on a break and Eliza maneuvered me into a private corner. She said something along the line of, “Ed, we just discussed ____ book. It looked like you had a concern and you did not say anything. Why?” I told her that I had been the only person with concerns for the three books immediately before it and I was worried that the audience and my committee were going to think of me as a very negative person. I told her that I was hoping someone else would express them.” She looked me in the eye and said, “Ed, our committee and our audience needs you to say what you think. I don’t care if you have concerns about a hundred books in a row. You need to speak all one hundred of them and it DOES NOT MATTER what anyone else does or does not do! If you have a concern, I expect to hear it.” Yes ma’am! Eliza agonized over whether our committee and other committees were inclusive enough. She spoke up forcefully on the fact that our committee was a committee for more than our personal constituencies. She wanted us to include the best books on our list, but she wanted us to be aware of our own cultural limitations, our own personal reading weaknesses, our own idiosyncrasies so that we had the chance of recognizing and understanding that our list includes GLBT folk, blacks, whites, Latinos, Native Americans, atheists, Asians, and other groups that do not always see themselves on the shelves of our libraries. Most of all I remember Eliza’s smile and her fabulous sense of humor. What is clear to anyone who spent more than a few minutes with Eliza is that she cared deeply about children, ALL children. She even liked older children like me! I cherish the fact that we continued our conversations after Notables, speaking about various radical ideas in the world of children’s literacy such as homelessness and prejudice in schools. We had been brainstorming a Skype visit with her students to discuss things I do in my first grade classroom germane to these topics. I am so sorry this did not happen. I will miss her and I treasure all of the time I did have with her.
Carol Edwards, Co-Manager of Children’s and Family Services Denver Public Library, remembers:
I met Eliza when I was in library school at UW-Madison. I worked for her on a special project of pulling recently published books and inserting the reviews for teacher/librarians to consider for purchase. I think she was head of School Librarians for Madison at the time. She treated me with such courtesy and always had time for my questions, which I very much appreciated.
Later when I was selected to the 2008 Newbery Committee Eliza came and spoke to us about our charge at the very beginning during Midwinter of 2007. She was so eloquent about the process. And I will never forget that she said, “You will not select the best book of the year. There really isn’t one best book. But you will select one of them.” Somehow that freed me from all my anxiety about making the choice and I could enjoy the books in all the many ways that they excelled. Of course, we did make a choice, but I knew that we just had to do the best we could.
Lynda Salem-Poling, Branch Manager and Youth Services Librarian Long Beach Public Library & Information System, shares:
I worked with Eliza on the 2013 Notable Children’s Recordings committee. She was, of course, inquisitive, thoughtful, professional, and passionate about books for youth in all possible formats. Since Midwinter was in Seattle that year, she had some of her students sit in on our discussions and it was evident that she was as proud of them as a teacher could be. Eliza would write me long, detailed emails about issues (and we had several that year), she would write detailed, thoughtful reviews that pulled in a wide-range of different information about every audio she was assigned, whether her review was positive or negative, and each was balanced and fair.
Eliza was very excited to serve on the Odyssey last year and to work as chair of Notable Children’s Recordings this year. Even in her illness, she was positive, strong, and forging ahead. Looking back on what she achieved in ALSC and literature for youth has been awe-inspiring. Imagine what more she could have done in the future.
Ruth I. Gordon writes:
I am shocked beyond measure at Eliza’s passing. She was an incredible person and it is an incredible loss – and not only to librarianship – but to honesty, decency, and justice.
We sat next to each other (often) on Council and ALSC Board. Her thoughtful ideas were always cause(s) for thought as will be her memory.
Once on Council, a vote on a resolution suggested by the California Library Association that virtually killed school libraries and librarians, there were two “Nay” votes, Eliza was the other one. RAH on her for seeing what the resolution was supporting-and what it was destroying.
Every wish for grace and comfort to her family and colleagues.
Yes, Eliza lived a good life and made it better for all she touched.
Annette Goldsmith, Guest Faculty, University of Washington Information School, shares:
There is so much I want to say about Eliza: she was my major professor at Florida State, my teacher, colleague, friend, and advisor. She recruited me into the doctoral program, guided me as a scholar, formed me as a teacher, hooked me on research, and reminded me (by example) to have fun. Eliza was known for her energy whether at work or play. She didn’t seem to need much sleep and was always doing two or three times the number of things regular people did. She was our Wonder Woman. Did she drink a lot of coffee or tea to keep this up? No! Eliza was fueled by her passion for children and their books…and diet cherry Coke. She was from Atlanta, after all. With love and tears…
Kyungwon Koh, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, School of Library and Information Studies, The University of Oklahoma writes:
Dr. Eliza Dresang was my master’s and doctoral advisor at Florida State University. Since I first met her in 2005, she has shaped me as a scholar and educator. I was truly fortunate to have an opportunity to take up her work and further develop her theory of Radical Change. She was delighted when I asked her if I could refine and expand her theory. Although she was a highly respected scholar, she was willing to listen to a student’s opinion and always open to discussion. At every moment I worked with her, I was impressed by her tireless pursuit of knowledge, strong academic integrity, and genuine care for others. She was an extraordinary mentor who wholeheartedly supported her students. When there was a thought-provoking but expensive conference opportunity for a student, she supported me to attend and learn. When I applied for a job, she wrote personalized and targeted letters of recommendation. Even after I came to the University of Oklahoma as an assistant professor, she was always approachable whenever I sought her advice. Just about 2 weeks before she passed away, she took the time and sent me a line saying “I am very proud of your work!” referring to my recent research grant award. She was my role model, whom I could completely trust. I know her influence will not stop and I will always remember her.
One of my finest memories of her is when we attended the 2010 Scratch@MIT conference together in Boston. We really enjoyed participating in sessions, meeting new people, walking around the area and having dinner in nice restaurants. Oh, we also searched for a convenience store or vending machine that has Diet Cherry Coke. We finally found one and she was very happy!
What are your favorite memories of Dr. Eliza Dresang? Please feel free to share in the comments below. Together we can help each other grieve and remember.
(Post edited – 4/27/14)
Helen Gurley Brown, author and longtime editor of Cosmopolitan, died at age 90 yesterday. Her bestselling nonfiction book, Sex and the Single Girl, which took her career to the next level in 1962, was eventually adopted for the big screen in 1964; it starred Natalie Wood, Tony Curtis, Lauren Bacall and Henry Fonda. Brown went on to become editor of Cosmo in 1965, breathing life into the magazine with her outspoken advocacy of women’s sexual freedom.
Here are a few of Brown’s quips from an interview we conducted in 1966, in which she detailed her revitalization of Cosmopolitan:
“We’re not an intellectual’s magazine, but I don’t want to scare off the intellectual writer. I’m terribly keen for good writing.”
“There are too many women in the country for the number of men around. So we show women how to find men. We don’t treat men as a commodity.”
“Management goes up in flames when we are compared to Playboy magazine. We’re not a female Playboy, but I want to do stuff about my people, just as Playboy does about theirs. We edit for our readers. If it isn’t for a Cosmo girl, it doesn’t get in the book.”
Brown celebrating Cosmo with a champagne toast. Click for larger image.
One of my favorite Christmastime novels for young readers is The dog who thought he was Santa by Bill Wallace. It is a funny and touching story, and I love the way the dog is the only individual in the tale who really understands the big issues. My daughter has read another of Bill Wallace's books, A dog called Kitty, at least half a dozen times. I was therefore very saddened to hear that Bill Wallace has left the stage. He and his wonderful books will be greatly missed.Bill Wallace:
Award-winning author Bill Wallace started writing after a tough year of teaching fourth graders. As he said, “Trying to read to a class of 25 kids who aren't listening is downright MISERABLE. Finally, students asked me to tell stories about when I was growing up. I soon ran out of these, so they decided I should make up new stories. I became a writer so I could survive my first year as a teacher. The class loved the stories I wrote for them and persuaded me to get somebody to make us a real book.” Shadow on the Snow, Trapped in Death Cave, and A Dog Called Kitty all started out as books for his students. However, it took ten long years for his first book (A Dog Called Kitty) to be accepted for publication. After this, the former elementary-school teacher went on to write over 25 books. Other favorites include: Red Dog, Buffalo Gal, Danger in Quicksand Swamp,Beauty, Aloha Summer, Watchdog and the Coyotes, and Coyote Autumn. Bill Wallace won nineteen children's state awards and was awarded the Arrell Gibson Lifetime Achievement Award for Children's Literature from the Oklahoma Center for the Book.
Wallace was born on August 1, 1947 in Chickasha, Oklahoma. He was married to Carol Ann Priddle (who also taught elementary school) and had three children, Laurie Beth, Amanda Nicole, and Justin Keith. He attended university and graduate school in Oklahoma.
By Suzanne Ryan, Music Editor
We bid a sad farewell to one of our most dear authors and friends, Bruce Haynes.
An Associate Professor at the Université de Montréal and McGill University, Bruce was a pioneer and champion of historical performance practice with numerous solo and ensemble recordings to his credit. He was a founding member of the Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra, alongside his wife and musical partner, Susie Napper to whom we humbly offer our most sincere condolences.
As part of his long list of publications, Bruce authored two books with Oxford, The Eloquent Oboe: A History of the Hautboy from 1640-1760 (2001) and The End of Early Music: A Period Performer’s History of Music (2007) which received the ASCAP Deems Taylor Media Award, and he was a contributor to the New Grove Dictionary of Music.
Beloved and respected throughout the early music community, Bruce’s efforts and insights as both performer and scholar brought historical performance practice alive, and his legacy will enrich the ears and hearts of musicians and audiences for years to come. It was an honor, a privilege, and a joy to work with Bruce and to be witness to his grace, warmth, and generosity. Bruce passed from our midst on May 17th, but his spirit will never leave our hearts.
By Stanley Corkin
Sidney Lumet never won an academy award and was rarely placed in the company of the elite Hollywood directors, like Martin Scorsese and Francis Coppola. Yet, his body of work suggests the need for a re-evaluation. I have long appreciated Lumet’s mastery of his craft and particularly his ability to use New York’s urban landscape as a character in his films.
But it was while working on my book Starring New York: Filming the Grime and Glamour of the Long 1970s that I gave him the attention that deepened my regard. Serpico (1973), and Dog Day Afternoon (1975) Prince of the City (1981), are prominently featured in my study, as is to a lesser degree, Network (1976). In these films, as in so many others—The Pawnbroker (1964), Daniel (1980), The Verdict (1982), Q and A (1990)—Lumet shows his mastery of his craft, directing not with flash, but with a deep regard for his material. He never brings undue attention to his style; rather, in every shot he complicates our understanding of his characters and their complex relationships to each other and the world. I came to see that his vision of New York in the great films he directed in the 1970s was complexly historical and anthropological. In Network, the exterior shots of corporate headquarters of the various television networks say everything about the remoteness and shallow calculations of those businesses, and how they are definitional for a sector of New York City. His montage that begins Dog Day Afternoon is an amazing short film in itself, tracking the geographic and social complexity of New York, as well as its points of contact—water, air, electronic—with a world beyond. Lumet truly understood his city as it morphed into its post-modern incarnation, a city of uneven economic development, deeply involved in the moment of globalized trade and culture.
Stanley Corkin is Professor of English at the University of Cincinnati and author of Starring New York: Filming the Grime and the Glamour of the Long 1970s.
Soon after I started reviewing books I discovered the Re
dwall books, a series of stories about animals who have adventures, who battle evil doers, and who have the most marvelous feasts and celebrations. I fell in love with the wonderful characters, especially the moles (who have a delicious way of speaking) and the hares (who have bottomless stomachs). I was therefore very sad to hear that the man who created the Redwall Tales, Brian Jacques, passed away a few days ago. Here is a little information about this wonderful writer. He will be greatly missed.
Brian Jacques was born in Liverpool, England, on 15 June 1939 to James (a truck driver) and Ellen. He grew up in the area of the Liverpool docks. He is known by his middle name 'Brian' because both his father and one of his brothers are also called James. His father loved literature, and passed it to him, having him read stories by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, Robert Louis Stevenson, and Edgar Rice Burroughs.
Jacques showed a knack for writing at an early age. At age 10, he was given an assignment of writing a story about animals, and he wrote about a bird that cleaned a crocodile's teeth. His teacher could not believe that anyone could write that well when they were only 10 years old. He was called a liar for refusing to say he copied the story. He had always loved to write, but it was only then that he realized he had a talent for writing.
He attended
St. John's private school until the age of 15 when he left school (as was the tradition at the time) and set out to find adventure as a sea merchant sailor. His book Redwall was written for the children of the
Royal Wavertree School for the Blind, whom he refers to as his "special friends". He first met them when he delivered milk there as a truck driver. He began to spend time with the children, and eventually began to write stories for them. This accounts for the very descriptive style of the novel and the ones to follow.
His work gained acclaim when Alan Durband, a friend (who also taught Paul McCartney and George Harrison), showed it to his (Durband's) own publisher without telling Jacques. Durband told his publishers: "This is the finest children's tale I've ever read, and you'd b
By: Lauren,
on 2/2/2011
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By Kathryn Kalinak
The world of film lost one of the greats on Sunday: composer John Barry. British by birth, he carved a place for himself in Hollywood, winning five Oscars over the course of his career. He cut his teeth on James Bond films – Dr. No, (1962), From Russia With Love (1963), Goldfinger (1964), Thunderball (1965) – and went on to compose seven more. There was something both elegant and hip about these scores, a kind of jazzy sophistication that connoted fast cars, beautiful women, and martinis, shaken not stirred, that is. A jack of all musical trades, he turned to Born Free (1966) and gave it a lush symphonic score and hit song. By 1966, when he won his first Academy Awards (and he won two that year: Best Song and Best Score for Born Free), he became one of the most high profile film composers in the world. He was only 33.
He had an eclectic taste when it came to choosing films – small independent films, huge studio epics, and everything in between – coupled with wide-ranging and versatile compositional skill that could produce a twangy country and western-inspired score for Midnight Cowboy (1969), a jazz-infused score for The Cotton Club (1984), an anxiety-filled score for The Ipcress File (1965), a sensual score for Body Heat (1981), a synthesized score for The Jagged Edge (1985), and a symphonic sound for Out of Africa (1985). He will largely be remembered, though, for those Bond scores – as well he should. They musically define the texture of those films, their time and place, and above all Bond himself with the electric guitar riff that Barry brought to the 007 theme.
But it is the score for Dances With Wolves (1990) that I will remember him for. Like Out of Africa, it is lush, symphonic, melody-laden. But like no other western score that I know of, it manages to avoid the stereotypes for Indians that riddle many of Hollywood’s best western film scores. And I am certainly not the first or the only one to notice this: no tom-tom rhythms, no modal harmonies, no use of fourths and fifths, no dissonance to represent the Sioux
King-Smith was a soldier in World War II and a farmer for 20 years before he became a teacher and author. King-Smith's first book was The Fox Busters, published in 1978. He was one of
Britain's most prolific authors and wrote over a hundred books, which have been translated into twelve languages. In later life he lived in Queen Charlton, a small farming village near
Bristol, contributing to the maintenance and conservation of the local area as the vice-president of the Avon Wildlife Trust. He married his first wife, Myrle, in 1943. They had 3 children and 14 grandchildren. Myrle died in 2000, and King-Smith subsequently married Zona Bedding, a family friend.
He had many pets including rats, mice, ornamental pheasants, dachshunds, geese and guinea fowl, and bred guinea pigs and English rabbits.
He presented a feature on animals on TV-AM's children's programme Rub a Dub Dub.
King-Smith died on 4 January 2011 at the age of 88. You can find out more about Dick King-Smith and his books by visiting the the
by Jane
Elaine Kaufman, the owner of the famous literary salon, Elaine’s restaurant on New York’s Upper East Side, died on Friday after suffering from chronic heart disease for the last five years. She was not only an incredibly important person in New York’s publishing world, but she was also an important person in my life.
Elaine Kaufman was a huge supporter of writers of all kinds and of those of us who worked with them. I remember well being taken to Elaine’s by my father, Oscar Dystel, then head of Bantam Books, when I was a young girl and he was one of her regular patrons. And, I remember, when I finally followed him into the publishing biz, spending considerable time there.
We had our DGLM holiday dinners there; I took many authors there for dinner over the years, and I held my own family celebrations there
—the last one being a high school graduation party for my son Zachary last June, which Elaine helped me to plan.
Elaine was larger than life in every way. She was generous (everyone knew that she would pay for the dinners of writers who were down on their luck); she brought people together (she introduced me to Jerry Brown, California’s new and former governor and to Scott Rudin, the award winning film and theatrical producer); and she was constantly opining on one thing or another. Yes, she was enormously generous in every way
—several years ago she gave my husband and son tickets to opening day at Yankees Stadium
—and, I believe, an important icon in our community.
Elaine Kaufman will be missed by all who knew her, me included. One obituary said on Sunday, “New York will never be the same.” So true.
ALSC member Rose Zertuche-Treviño died on April 30. Fittingly, her death occurred on El día de los niños/El día de los libros, a celebration of reading for children of all cultures and linguistic backgrounds that Rose worked to establish and strongly supported. Most recently Rose serv
ed as chair of the Newbery Award committee and the crowning achievement of her career may well have been presenting that award to Neil Gaiman in Chicago.
Rose served as the youth services coordinator for the Houston Public Library until last October. Prior to that Rose was an independent consultant and the children’s services coordinator at San Antonio Public Library. She was very active in ALA, REFORMA, and the Texas Library Association and served on many committees. In addition to writing for ALA, which published her books Read Me a Rhyme in Spanish and English (2009), a collection of Latino rhymes, songs, finger plays, riddles, and other programming ideas for librarians who work with babies, toddlers, preschoolers, and school-age children, and The Pura Belpré Awards: Celebrating Latino Authors and Illustrators (2006), Rose wrote all or part of several program manuals for the Texas Reading Club. She is survived by her husband, Pete, and their children, Steven and Jaclyn.
The REFORMA Executive Board has approved the creation of the Rose Treviño Scholarship to honor Rose’s memory and to further the work that was so important to her. Donations towards the scholarship can be sent to Robin Imperial, REFORMA Treasurer, District of Columbia Public Library, Petworth Neighborhood Library, 4200 Kansas Avenue NW, Washington DC 20011 earmarked for the Rose Treviño Scholarship.
Rose’s family has also suggested that gift cards for Border’s be sent to them for use in buying books for the San Antonio Children’s Shelter in honor of Rose. Other appropriate memorials could be made in support of the ALA Spectrum Scholarships, or ALSC’s initiatives that support work Rose was involved with: the Pura Belpre Initiative or the El día de los niños/El día de los libros initiative. Another option would be to give to the Texas Library Association to support the Texas Bluebonnet Award or the Texas 2×2 Reading List, both projects with which Rose was involved.
A rosary will be said on Friday, May 7, 2010 at 7:00 p.m. at The Grotto, 5712 Blanco, San Antonio, TX. The memorial service is Saturday, May 8, 2010 at 10:00 a.m. at Los Patios, 2015 Northeast Loop 410, San Antonio, TX 78217. Flowers should be sent to Los Patios. Cards and notes can be send to Rose’s family at their home address, 10503 Burr Oak, San Antonio, TX 78230.
Please feel free to use the comments section of the blog to post your remembrances of Rose. A Rose Treviño Memorial Page has also been established at http://sites.google.com/site/rosetrevinomemorialpage/.
By: Teresa Walls,
on 9/11/2009
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The International Reading Association and the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE) offer on the web site, ReadWriteThink, a resource of lesson plans, web links and texts related to September 11, 2001.
Hello ALSC.
Kate’s family forwarded me the text for her obituary, which will appear in tomorrow’s (2/5/09) Greenwich Time. If anyone wishes to make donations, the families’ suggested places are the Perrot Memorial Library, and/or the Connecticut Storytelling Center (see below).
I know they, and we, have been amazed and gratified at the incredible outpouring of love and support from everyone in the ALSC community so far — many thanks to all of you.
Diane Foote, Executive Director
Association for Library Service to Children
50 E. Huron St.
Chicago, IL 60611
*****
Kate McClelland
Riverside
Kate McClelland, who worked at the Perrot Memorial Library for 29 years, most recently as associate director and director of youth services until her retirement in 2007, died last Wednesday morning, January 28, in a car accident en route to Denver International Airport, where she had been attending the American Library Association conference. She was 71.
For all who knew her, including the children at Perrot Library who called her “Mrs. Mac,” her spirit will live on through the stories she told. Kate had a gift for igniting in young people a love of reading. Even after her retirement, Kate continued to lead her 25-year-old Young Critics Club at Perrot. “Kate’s untimely death is a tragic loss, not only for those of us associated with Perrot Library, but for our whole community,” said Kevin McCarthy, Director of Perrot Memorial Library. “In her 29 years at Perrot, Kate introduced countless numbers of our children to the joys of storytelling and, through her Young Critics program, went on to instill in so many of them a lifelong love of reading. Kate did so much for us and yet there was so much more she wanted to do.”
Kate learned from the reading experiences of the children in her own community and translated their reactions to those of young readers nationwide. As vice-president/president-elect of the Association of Library Services to Children (a division of the American Library Association), Kate is often credited with forward-thinking ideas that shaped libraries across the country concerning children and books in a technological era (as contributing intellectual architect of “Radical Change: Books for Youth in the Digital Age,” by Dr. Eliza Dresang and published by H.W. Wilson). Kate served on the ALSC Board and chaired the 2002 Caldecott Award Selection Committee. She was a member of the ALSC Notable Children’s Books Committee, Newbery Award Selection Committee and the Young Adult Library Services Association’s (YALSA) Michael L. Printz Committee, and was also a contributor and reviewer for School Library Journal and Kirkus Reviews. In 2006, Kate was honored with a New York Times Librarian of the Year Award.
Kate was born on May 26, 1937, to Elizabeth Hull Roe and Charles Roe in Monongahela, Penn. She was graduated from Hiram College in Hiram, Ohio, where she met Arthur David McClelland, whom she married on June 7, 1958. She earned her master’s degree in library science from Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland. Kate, whose husband died of heart failure in 2002, is survived by a daughter, Lauren McClelland Mendoza, and son-in-law Baltazar Mendoza of Stamford, Conn.; a son, Graham William McClelland of New Milford, Conn.; and a granddaughter, Sara Elizabeth Mendoza.
The family will hold a private memorial service. A public Celebration of Life Memorial Service is being planned for March at the Spring Equinox. Please visit the Perrot Memorial Library website in the near future for further details on this event - http://www.perrotlibrary.org . Memorial donations may be made to The Connecticut Storytelling Center, In Residence at Connecticut College, 270 Mohegan Avenue, Box 5295, New London, CT 06320; or Perrot Memorial Library; 90 Sound Beach Avenue; Old Greenwich, CT 06870.
By: Teresa Walls,
on 2/4/2009
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The staff and board of Perrot Memorial Library posted the following message on its blog (2/3/09):
The Staff and Board of Perrot Memorial Library deeply thank each of you who have shared a thought, shed a tear, and expressed your emotions and remembrances for our dear friends and beloved colleagues, Kathryn McClelland and Kathleen Krasniewicz. The response from the Greenwich community, the Connecticut Library and the American Library Association communities, the storytelling community and the publishing industry has been astonishing. We are planning a Celebration of Life Memorial Service in Old Greenwich in March at the Spring Equinox to honor Kate and Kathy’s memories. We will post more information on our website and blog as it becomes available.
The future is not ours to know, and it may never be –
So let us live and give our best and give it lavishly!
-An Irish Blessing
********
The ALSC Blog has yet to learn the family’s wishes regarding donations in Kate McClelland’s memory. When the information is available, it will be posted.
I’m very sorry to convey the tragic news that I know many of you know already: yesterday, on their way to the Denver airport following ALA Midwinter, ALSC Vice President Kate McClelland and Notable Children’s Videos Chair Kathy Krasniewicz were killed in a hit-and-run automobile accident.
While the subject line refers to ALSC, we know this loss reaches well beyond our own association to affect their families, community, the profession at large, and especially the thousands of children they both worked with over the years at the Perrot Memorial Library in Old Greenwich, Connecticut. Here is the article from the Greenwich newspaper Web site:
http://www.greenwichtime.com/localnews/ci_11576380?source=rss
Please know that as soon as we have memorial/tribute information, I will share it. In the meantime, we encourage everyone with fond memories of Kate and Kathy to share them here, in this space.
Diane Foote
Executive Director, ALSC
50 E. Huron St.
Chicago, IL 6061
By: Rebecca,
on 10/8/2007
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Earlier today we introduced you to The Complete Writing Guide to NIH Behavioral Science Grants edited by Lawrence M. Scheier and William L. Dewey. Below are some additional tips from the book that should frame the way you write grants. Good luck!
Here are some editorial pointers you may want to implement the next time you submit your grant application:
- Connect the different sections of your grant. One means of doing this deftly is to write a summary of specific aims at the very end of the grant (last paragraph before Human Subjects). Use this space to help summarize the research goals, unique features of your scientific approach, and strengths of the investigative team. (more…)
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By: Rebecca,
on 8/27/2007
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Christopher Peterson, Ph.D., is professor of psychology at the University of Michigan, where he has been the director of clinical training and an Arthur F. Thurnau Professor, an award given to honor his contributions to teaching. Together with Martin E. P. Seligman, Ph.D., Peterson wrote Character Strengths and Virtues: A Handbook and Classification. The book looks at twenty-four specific strengths under six broad virtues that consistently emerge across history and culture: wisdom, courage, humanity, justice, temperance, and transcendence. In the article below Peterson gives us some insight to the resistance he received while researching this book. Be sure to check back later today for an excerpt from the book.
I embarked with hesitation on the projection that resulted in Character Strengths and Virtues: A Handbook and Classification. Its goals—to identify consensually recognized strengths of character and to devise ways of measuring these positive traits—had little precedent within recent psychology. Many psychologists today endorse extreme cultural relativism and may further doubt that “character” exists except in the eye of the beholder. (more…)
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![The Gallant Pig [BABE GALLANT PIG M/TV]](http://ws.amazon.com/widgets/q?MarketPlace=US&ServiceVersion=20070822&ID=AsinImage&WS=1&Format=_SL160_&ASIN=B002E9MV7U&tag=thrthelooglab-20)
, on which the movie Babe was based. He was awarded an Honorary Master of Education degree by the University of the West of England in 1999 and appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the 2010 New Year Honours. 
I had no idea she passed away! How completely sad:( This woman was a fantastic role model for women,for mothers, for people of color, for environmentalists and for anyone with a dream.
Thank you for acknowledging her passing.