For those of you who frequent the library, you might notice a couple of things missing this semester. After 20-plus years at the Lupton Library, our marvelous Interlibrary Loan (ILL) maven, Bea Hudson, has retired. Though we are on the hunt for a warm body to fill her space, we will never be able to replace Bea. Her co-workers offer some of their fondest memories:
“I’ll always fondly remember her infectious laugh and her claim to being a fashionista. Her black & white checkerboard plaid rain boots are indelibly etched in my mind.”
“[I’ll always remember] hearing Bea’s laughter as it penetrated through three different departments, and watching people look to see where the laughter was coming from. And remembering the big smile on her face.”
“Mmmm….I already miss Bea’s smell (which sounds weird I know). She had an army of primo perfumes & left a faint trail wherever she went and believe me, it’s rare to have nice smells in an aging college library…”
“I will always remember her sense of humor and no matter how bad the day might be, she could always make me laugh!”
Also gone but not forgotten is the inimitable Caitlin Shanley, Instructional Design Librarian and all around fun gal. You might notice her bespectacled absence from the Reference desk and from your library instruction classes because, alas, she has moved on up to the east side of Pennsylvania to be the Educational Technology Librarian at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia. Here’s what her colleagues remember most:
“Caitlin came back from one of her lunchtime forays into North Chattanooga with a rather moth-eaten stuffed squirrel. Said squirrel was cute, but had definitely been around the block a few times and was missing part of his (her?) ear. Caitlin tried for months to come up with a good name for Squirrel (despite the fact that I immediately suggested “Vincent” which I thought was not only brilliant but obvious.) I don’t think she ever named him but I think he accompanied her to Pennsylvania. Perhaps she’ll call him “Dutch”?”
“I’ll never forget the time we persuaded Caitlin to bring her taxidermied squirrel to our weekly staff meeting.”
“Caitlin always helped me investigate food options in different cities whenever we went to a conference together. I never ever had a bad meal on a food adventure with her. Her food research skills are unparalleled.”
“She was a great fit on our team, always bringing humor, thoughtful input and a student focus.”
All of us at the Lupton Library tip our hats to these fine ladies and wish them a fond farewell!