Gilreath, 'Marta Lange Remembered', NCSU Libraries Newsletter v20n01 (August 1992)
 
_The NCSU Libraries Newsletter_
Volume 20 no. 1
August 1992
Gilreath, Charles L.01
"Marta Lange Remembered"


On June 8 the University and the Libraries lost a wonderful 
friend and colleague, Marta Lange.  The previous day Marta had 
been involved in an automobile accident in which she sustained 
mortal injuries.  She is survived by her husband, David Culkin; 
her parents, Don and Pauline Lange; a brother, Steve; and a 
sister, Kathy.  On June 15 some 200 of her friends and 
colleagues met in Stewart Theatre to remember this woman 
whom they had known and admired.  Since 1986 Marta served 
as head of the Reference Department and proved to be a 
consummate professional.  She also used her considerable 
skills as a Faculty Senate officer and as a tireless committee 
member.  What follows are selected excerpts from the 
comments made by colleagues at the memorial service.

Bryna Coonin, assistant head of Reference, spoke for her 
library colleagues and remarked:


"Marta was a teacher before coming to librarianship.  In a very 
real sense she remained, in large measure, a teacher.  
Reference staff actually spend a good bit of their time 
teaching, both one-on-one as well as in a classroom setting.  
That we do this well was very important to Marta.  She wanted 
information well-organized and clearly presented--preferably 
with some imagination as well.

If you worked with her, or for her, she expected the best of 
you--nothing less than what she expected of herself.  One 
hundred percent was the bottom line.  An able and gifted 
administrator, Marta skillfully balanced the often competing 
needs of those above, below, and around her.  This she did with 
style and with a maturity beyond her years.

If you knew her well, you thought the world of her, and right 
now that world is a little darker and narrower, and it appears 
in shades of gray.  But Marta lived her life in technicolor!  She 
loved new experiences and new opportunities to learn, to 
teach, and to grow.

Marta cared passionately about some of the leading legal, 
social, and political issues of our day.  She gave generously of 
her time and her resources to support the work of 
organizations as committed as she to the rights and dignity of 
the individual."


Don Patty, associate registrar, spoke for other campus 
colleagues, who remember her in the following ways:


"She was thoughtful, concerned, and compassionate.  Whether 
it was asking about a family member who had been 
hospitalized or looking at pictures of a new daughter, she 
genuinely cared about people.  She had a smile that was 
infectious and enabled people to feel and be comfortable.

She was very thorough and tremendously articulate.

She was honest and exemplified professionalism in the very 
best sense of the word. . . .  Marta had consistently 
demonstrated in her work on the Senate that she was hard 
working, tireless in her efforts, and very organized."


In describing her work last year as chair of the Academic 
Policy Committee, Patty went on to say:


"Those of us who were on this committee saw in Marta an 
extraordinary personification of leadership skills.  She was a 
tremendous consensus builder, making sure that every diverse 
voice was heard and then somehow getting us all to reach an 
agreement on the issue at hand.  She helped us to remain 
focused.  Like many committees, we spent considerable time 
chasing rabbits, yet she always gently guided us back to the  
topic.  She was direct, focused, knew when to sit back and 
listen, and when to take charge.  She easily earned the respect 
of every member of the committee.

She was immensely talented, able to quickly focus on the real 
substance of an issue, and fairly summarized the arguments on 
all sides.  She was funny and warm.  Although the committee 
was rarely of one mind, all divisions were smoothed over with 
humor.  It was Marta's influence and style that did a lot to 
create that atmosphere.  One committee member even said that 
because of Marta the meetings were fun; he actually looked 
forward to them."


A memorial book fund has been established to honor Marta.  
Income from this fund will be used to purchase reference 
works.  Contributions to this memorial should be made to the 
NCSU Friends of the Library and designated the "Marta Lange 
Memorial Book Fund."