-------- Original Message -------- Subject: Gerard L. Alexander obituary Date: Sat, 28 Feb 2009 17:27:25 -0500 From: [log in to unmask] To: [log in to unmask], [log in to unmask] CC: [log in to unmask], [log in to unmask] Gerard L. Alexander, longtime Chief of Map Division, NYPL. We recently learned of the death in 2006 of Gerard L. Alexander, formerly Chief of the Map Division, NYPL. Born August 23, 1924 in Europe, he died in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida on May 17, 2006. Gerard came to NYPL in 1947, at about age 23, after emigrating from Scotland, and working briefly at the United Nations 1st General Assembly held here in New York City. He was First Assistant in the Map Division, a natural setting for him as he was a trained cartographer having studied at the Geographical Institute of Charles University, Prague, and Edinburgh University. For the year 1953 he was an illustrator for the Columbia-Viking Desk Encyclopedia, and was the cartographer for Junior Scholastic magazine, most likely part time jobs for added income and to keep up his cartographic skills. In 1953 and many other years, he led his grand tour of Europe, aimed specifically at librarians, and visited Scotland, England, Holland, Belgium, Germany, Switzerland, Italy and France. In 1955 he led his fourth tour which included 15 countries! Gerard was a member of the Special Libraries Association, Geography and Map Division, and held leadership positions with SLA almost from his first year at NYPL. In 1950 he was elected Secretary of the Geography and Map Group, New York Chapter, Special Libraries Association, and later chaired the Division. He was on the Publications Advisory Board for Hammond, Inc. and a trustee of the Islands Research Foundation. He published several articles, edited books, such as the 2nd edition of Greenhood’s Mapping, 1971, and Ernst Lehner’s How they saw the New World, 1966. He co-authored several books with Joseph Nathan Kane, known for his book on Famous First Facts. Gerard’s first article appeared in the Cartographical Review/ Kartograficky Prehled, January-February 1947, co-published by the State Map Collection of the Czech Republic and the Geographical Institute of the Charles University, Prague. The article was totally in Czech, but titled in English, “A report of the Map Division, The New York Public Library.” Because this appeared in January 1947, I suspect it was researched and published before his actual appointment to the Map Division staff! In 1951 he produced the first of several editions of Nicknames of American Cities, Towns and villages, Past and Present. His most important publication was Guide to atlases: world, regional, national, thematic; an international listing of atlases published since 1950, 1971, followed by a supplement published in 1977. However, possibly his most important Map Division activity involved planning and executing the move of 300,000 maps and atlases from two rooms on the third floor of the Central Building, NYPL, down to the first floor, Room 117, opening for service on March 1, 1963, without one day lost from public service during the move. From two rooms separated by a public hallway, and scattered collections, the Map Division landed in a two-room suite with space to spare. This was map room heaven, with 20’ ceilings, windows on Fifth Avenue, real office space, and low map cases to allow acres of work space for processing large flat paper materials, maps! For the first 11 years of his career at NYPL, the Map Division was under the auspices of the American History Division, with Gerald MacDonald the acting Head of the Map Division. However, Gerard Alexander was the essential manager for the Map Division from 1947, when he arrived at NYPL, as almost the entire expert map room staff, including Chief Walter Ristow, had retired or left NYPL immediately after the War. Mr. Alexander was appointed Chief in 1958, and remained in that position until his retirement in 1981. He then moved to Florida, and worked as a consultant in the area of antiquarian maps and also worked in real estate in the Palm Beach area. His business card states that he bought, sold and appraised antiquarian maps, atlases and globes, and that he was a map investment consultant. He was a terrific organizer, as illustrated in his early leadership roles in the Special libraries Association Geography and Map Division, his annual group tours to Europe, and the successful 1963 move of the entire map collection to its present location off the Astor Lobby of the Humanities and Social Sciences Library at 5th Avenue and 42nd Street, New York City. Today we owe much to his leadership during the post-World War II expansion and growth of the Map Division, preparing it for 21st century computer mapping, GIS and the digital era. We see his hand everywhere, every day in the Map Division we have inherited. Alice C. Hudson Chief, The Lionel Pincus & Princess Firyal Map Division The Humanities and Social Sciences Library The New York Public Library 5th Avenue & 42nd Street, Room 117 New York, NY 10018-2788 [log in to unmask], 212-930-0589, fax 212-930-0027 Hours: 1-7:30 Tu & Wed, 1-6 Thurs-Sat. Closed Sun, Mon. http://nypl.org/research/chss/map/map.html