>MEMORIAL SET FOR DAVID THACKERY AT THE NEWBERRY LIBRARY >by Loretto Dennis Szucs > >The Newberry Library has announced that a memorial service has >been set for David T. Thackery on Wednesday, August 26, 1998, at >4 PM at the Newberry Library. > >David Thackery, 45, passed away July 17 after suffering a heart >attack while jogging along the Chicago Lakefront, near his home >in Hyde Park. As reported in the "Ancestry Daily News" (July 20), >in his position as curator of local and family history at >Chicago's Newberry, David spent his last years developing one of >the nation's foremost genealogy collections and serving those who >come to the Library to use the collection. > >The Newberry Library, a landmark building of Spanish Romanesque >architecture, on Chicago's near north side, has become a mecca >for scholars, students, and genealogists. Its awesome collection >consists of roughly two million volumes and six million >manuscripts. In general, it is a reference library for history >and the humanities with specialties including the history of >cartography, the American Indian, the history of printing, music, >and the Renaissance. Its treasures are world famous. Over 2,000 >of its books were printed before A.D. 1500. Its European >manuscripts date as early as the ninth century. At a very early >point in the Newberry's history, the library heavily emphasized >the acquisition of local and family history materials. The same >strong emphasis continues to this day. The library is perhaps >best known for this strength and probably sixty percent of its >patrons are genealogical researchers. > >A native of Urbana, Ohio, David Thackery had a life-long passion >for history and libraries. Mary Wyly, associate librarian at the >Newberry, called David "the consummate librarian," adding, "David >understood that everything starts with the collection. He >familiarized himself with it thoroughly. He worked in it >regularly. That's how he taught himself, and that's how he taught >others." She also suggested that "Probably some of his passion >for the library was inherited from his parents, both of whom were >librarians." David's only immediate survivor was his mother, Enid >Thackery, a resident of Ohio. > >David earned a degree from Wittenberg University in Springfield, >Ohio, and two master's degrees from the University of Chicago in >library science and divinity. He joined the Newberry in 1982, and >was made head of the research facility's local and family history >department in 1983. He was buried in Ohio at a private funeral. > >As head of the Local and Family History Department at the >Newberry, David Thackery dramatically expanded the library's >services and collections in that area. In 1988 and 1989, he used >a $62,000 grant from the Lloyd A. Fry Foundation in Chicago to >buy microfilm from the National Archives with the intention of >enhancing the Library's collection of African American family >history sources. In remembering Thackery, Tony Burroughs, >president of Black Roots, said "We will miss David more than I >can imagine. He did more for African American genealogy than any >librarian I know. He took pride in it. He applied for at least >two sizable grants for African American genealogical collections, >hired a special staff person for a year, created a great >bibliography with regular updates, wrote several articles on the >subject, gave many lectures on the subject, peer reviewed books >and articles, and helped individual genealogists." > >According to Newberry president, Charles Cullen, "David was just >hitting his peak and was recognized as a national expert." He >wrote dozens of articles, and was a regular speaker at symposiums >in the Chicago area and at the national level. Dr. Cullen said, >"David took great joy in helping people learn more about their >families." > >David Thackery's photograph was prominent and eye-catching in a >recent "Time" magazine article " Growing Your Family Tree" (Time >- Select, July 13, 1998). The magazine quoted him saying, "You >can spend five years on one line and get nowhere, but when you >get that one name, you may be able to take it back several >generations in a single day." David was referring to a rolled-up >family tree of the descendants of Richard Lippincott, who arrived >on American shores around 1640. In tracing his own family, David >discovered he had Lippincott ancestors on that very same tree. > >David's very popular "Library Sources" column appeared in >Ancestry in 1994 and 1995, and he had recently expressed plans to >return to writing features for the magazine this coming fall. In >addition to the magazine column, David authored the chapter >"Tracking African American Family History" in "The Source: A >Guidebook of American Genealogy" (revised edition, Loretto Dennis >Szucs and Sandra Hargreaves Luebking, Salt Lake City: Ancestry, >1996); and the chapters, "Bibliographies and Catalogs," and >"Military Sources" in "Printed Sources: A Guide to Published >Genealogical Records" (edited by Kory L. Meyerink, Salt Lake >City: Ancestry, 1998). > >David's love of research was in part responsible for his most >recent writing accomplishment. Unfortunately, he didn't live to >see the finished product of his labor - "A Light and Uncertain >Hold: The History of the 66th Ohio Volunteer Infantry" - >scheduled for publication by Kent State University Press in early >1999. It is the meticulously researched story of the Civil War >unit that was raised in David's native Champaign County, Ohio. > >As word of David's death reaches friends and colleagues, their >expressions of sadness are coming together from one end of the >country to the other. Tony Hoskins said of his late friend: "I >worked with David Thackery at the Newberry Library from 1986 to >November 1998. I am now with the Palm Beach County (Florida) >Library System in West Palm Beach. His loss is indeed a great >shock." Nancy Huling, Head, Reference & Research Services, at the >Suzallo and Allen Library, University of Washington, who served >with David on the History Committee of the American Library >Association said, "I was very sorry to learn of David's death. He >was a wonderful person and superb librarian." > >The Newberry Library has set up the David Thackery Memorial Fund, >Newberry Library, 60 West Walton, Chicago, IL 60610. >Contributions will be used for the Local and Family History >Department. > >In tribute to David Thackery, some of his articles and other >writings will be posted on Ancestry.com. In this way, we hope >that many will get to know and benefit from this very >knowledgeable and gentle man. > >His mother's words sum it up eloquently: "The important thing is >that he has left his work. That was his expression of life." > >--------- >Source: Ancestry.com newsletter >------------------------------------------------------------------------- >- African Ancestored Genealogy Discussion >- To unsubscribe, email: Majordomo@MsState.Edu >- In body of message: unsubscribe afrigeneas >- >- Afrigeneas archives: http://www.msstate.edu/listarchives/afrigeneas/ >------------------------------------------------------------------------- >