-------- Original Message --------
Subject:        Dr. Roman Drazniowsky, 1922-2006
Date:   Wed, 12 Jul 2006 09:31:26 -0500
From:   Christopher Baruth <[log in to unmask]>
To:     Angie Cope <[log in to unmask]>


Dr. Roman Drazniowsky, 1922-2006

Roman Drazniowsky joined the staff of the American Geographical Society
in 1962 as map curator.  As the financial position of the Society began
to deteriorate in the early 1970s, "Dr. D" as he was called, assumed
added responsibility, eventually taking charge of the library and the
editorship of Current Geographical Publications.  When the library and
map collection came to be seeking a new home, Roman became a key figure
in the selection process which ultimately selected UW-Milwaukee as the
new home of what came to be called the "AGS Collection."

It was only natural that Roman should follow the Collection to Milwaukee
in 1978, to become its first Curator: he oversaw the Collection's move,
its unpacking and its redeployment in its new space here at UWM.  In his
fifteen years in Milwaukee, he was able to pass on not only his
knowledge of the collection, but also much of the lore of the Society
and his deep understanding of map librarianship as a profession.

In addition to his role in the AGSC, Roman also held adjunct faculty
appointments in UWM?s Geography Department and its School of Library and
Information Science (now School of Information Studies), and taught
courses on map librarianship (as he had done at Columbia University
before moving to Milwaukee).

Roman retired from UWM in 1993, only to pursue an active second career
at the Free University of Ukraine, in Munich, Germany, where he taught,
and served as rector.

Roman's busy retirement did not permit many return visits to the
library. He served on the AGSC Advisory Committee, and he did attend a
few staff retirements, the last of which was in 2001. Roman, a unique
personality, will definitely not be forgotten by the staff members who
came to know him.

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Christopher Baruth, Ph.D.
Curator, American Geographical Society Library
Editor, Current Geographical Publications
[log in to unmask]
http://leardo.lib.uwm.edu
(414) 229-6282
(800) 558-8993 (toll free)
(414) 229-3624 (fax)
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