Obituaries
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William Young Boyd II, 88, author of five novels and the donor of ALA’s W. Y. Boyd Literary Award for Excellence in Military Fiction, died December 31. Boyd received a Purple Heart for wounds sustained during World War II, as well as the Combat Infantryman’s Badge, the Bronze Star Medal for exemplary conduct under enemy fire, and the French Legion of Honor.
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Elizabeth H. (Betsy) Park, 70, professor and assistant to the dean for planning and assessment at the University of Memphis Libraries, died January 18.
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Laurene Zaporozhetz Laurene Zaporozhetz, 63, most recently director of libraries at the Air Force Institute of Technology Library in Dayton, Ohio, died November 15. Zaporozhetz was active in ALA, ACRL, ACRL’s Women & Gender Studies Section, and the Special Libraries Association’s Military Libraries Division. She also provided service to nursing homes and hospitals by visiting with her therapy cat Peanut.
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Joanna Whitmire, 36, librarian at La Vergne (Tenn.) Lake Elementary since it opened in 2007, died November 20.
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Mike Starcevich, 58, retired librarian at Powell (Wyo.) High School and Powell Middle School for 28 years, died October 25.
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Marilyn M. Riter, 87, community librarian of the Dundee branch of Monroe County (Mich.) Library System for more than 20 years until her 1993 retirement, died November 19. Riter was an avid genealogist and traced her mother’s family back to the 1600s.
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Judith Mae Pryor, 73, a librarian for the University of Wisconsin at Parkside for 43 years until her 2001 retirement, died October 26. Pryor authored university textbooks and provided keynote speeches at many library conferences.
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Diane Kathryn Pierson Monnier, 70, a children’s librarian for most of her career at Montgomery County (Md.) Public Library, died November 3.
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Mary Lawson, 68, a librarian at Minneapolis Public Library for 30 years until her 2002 retirement, died December 10. Lawson became director of the library in the mid-1990s, and she was responsible for upgrading computer systems, starting the Franklin Learning Center to support adult learners, and initiating the Readmobile/ Bookmobile program in cooperation with Hennepin County Library.
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James R. Housel, 97, city librarian at Ontario (Calif.) Public Library until his 1980 retirement, died November 5.
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Patricia Gustafson, 85, a librarian at Rugby (N.Dak.) Elementary School from 1967 to 1990 and at Wolford (N.Dak.) School from 1990 to 2013, died October 21.
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Roger Greer, 86, a library educator for 31 years, died November 9. Greer served as dean of library science at Syracuse (N.Y.) University and
the University of Southern California, and also taught courses at the University of Denver, Rutgers (N.J.) University, and Emporia (Kans.) State University.
