ALA Associate Executive Director Gerald Hodges Dies

By Teresa Koltzenburg | Sad news has gripped us here at ALA. Tuesday, Gerald Hodges, associate executive director for marketing and communications, passed away. American Libraries Online provides a bit about Gerald's life, accomplishments, and his important contributions to the Association and to the field here.

A longtime member and supporter of ALA, Hodges had stipulated that a portion of his estate be used to establish the Gerald Hodges Fund, in support of intellectual freedom issues and legal challenges to legislation such as the Children's Internet Protection Act and the USA Patriot Act.

Hodges had also asked that, in lieu of flowers, memorial contributions be made to the Gerald Hodges Fund. Make checks payable to the American Library Association, 50 East Huron Street, Chicago, IL 60611, and send to the attention of Judith Krug, director, Office for Intellectual Freedom.—AL Online

Because I've been at ALA only a bit over a year, I didn't have the pleasure and privilege of working with Gerald a great deal. But he was the among the first outside of my department to offer me support as a new ALA employee last year, and, whenever I encountered him drinking his morning coffee in front of 40 E. (part of the ALA headquarters on Huron St. in Chicago), I could always count on him for a smile and a cheerful, "Good Morning."