----------------------------Original message---------------------------- Helen was a star, and her shining presence will be missed in our lives. She was a gracious, sharp, creative leader and role model for so many of us folk following in her dust. I appreciated her generosity of spirit when she visited New York Public Library on the founding of our Map Division support group, The Mercator Society. And that generous spirit is evident in the innumerable introductions and chapters she contributed to other scholars' works. For those of us involved in maps, she bettered our lives for being part of our lives, and her gentle encouragements to each of us are gifts to cherish. Her laughter and great good humor, and not taking herself TOO seriously, are also grand gifts to savor. I'm smiling just thinking about her cheeriness, and I was sad when I started this! Alice Hudson Chief, Map Division The Research Libraries The New York Public Library [log in to unmask]