Passing of a dear friend -- Posted on behalf of Nancy Day, Linda Hall Library Anne Liebst 24 Oct 2008 16:32 UTC
Siegfried (Fred) Ruschin The Board of Trustees and staff of the Linda Hall Library are saddened by the loss of long-time colleague and friend, Siegfried (Fred) Ruschin. Fred passed away Sunday, October 19, 2008 at the age of 83. He graduated from Washburn University in Topeka with a B.S. in Physics and later received a Master's in Library Science from Emporia State College. His first library position was with the Topeka Public Library as a reference librarian. Upon completion of his Master's degree he accepted a position as Serials Librarian at the Linda Hall Library and served in that role from 1959 until early 1978 when he was named Librarian for Collection Development, a position he held until his retirement in 1993. During most of his career at Linda Hall he also spent many hours assisting patrons at the reference desk. His interest in science, his fluency in German, Spanish, and English and his knowledge of history and geography allowed Fred to play a significant role in the development of a world class science library. Motivated by a profound sense of fairness and a penchant for details, he was one of the first in the library community to document and call attention to discriminatory pricing of serials. Following retirement he continued to use his considerable writing skills in English, his third self taught language, as an active contributor to the Midwest Center for Holocaust Education Memory Project. He is remembered for the breadth of his knowledge, his intellectual curiosity, his tenacity, his vast capacity for empathy and a wonderful self-effacing sense of humor. Personal remembrances and tributes may be sent to dayn@lindahall.org <mailto:dayn@lindahall.org> . These will be gathered and passed to his family who will appreciate reflections on Fred's professional life. The family suggests contributions in his memory to the Midwest Center for Holocaust Education Memory Project, 5801 W. 115th St., Suite #106, Overland Park, KS 66211 or to the Linda Hall Library, 5109 Cherry, Kansas City, MO 64110. Posted on behalf of Nancy Day, Information Resources Officer, Linda Hall Library. Thank you. Anne Liebst Head of Technical Services Linda Hall Library of Science, Engineering and Technology 5109 Cherry St. Kansas City, MO 64110-2498 (816) 926-8784 (816) 926-8790 (fax) liebsta@lindahall.org