by Lark M. Robart
This week I had the great pleasure of attending the official presentation of the 50th anniversary book to the Genealogy Center at the Albuquerque Public Library on Wednesday afternoon, April 6th.
The book was compiled and edited by Lynda Katonak, Mike Blackledge, Stuart Murray and Mike Wilson, and all four were in attendance. AGS member and former editor of the Quarterly Rosemary McNerney-Winkler, as well as AGS members Bill Farmer and Clayton Roberts, were also in attendance. Sally Berg, a Genealogy Center Librarian, and Kelli Murphy, Manager of the Main Library, were present on behalf of the Library.
The group reminisced about how the library has changed over the years.
Did you know?
I found out that a few people in Albuquerque interested in family history back in the 1960s joined forces to share their love of family history research . . . and would meet at one another’s homes to use each other’s resource books?
By the way, I learned some of this on Wednesday and some of it from Chapter 1 of my very own copy of the book!
After awhile, folks got tired of going to each other’s houses, and several individuals got together and formed The Council. Well, one thing led to another, and eventually the collection of books found a home at St. Mark’s on the Mesa Church. Or as stated in Chapter 1, “our founding members were ‘looking for a home’ even before they formed an organization.”
Later, the collection was relocated to two locking bookcases at the “new” Erna Ferguson Library. And in 1972, The Genealogy Club was officially incorporated with 19 charter members. One of those founding members, Virginia-Kay Massara, is an active AGS member to this day.
By April of 1977, The Club was meeting in the Special Collections Library located at the corner of Edith and Central.
Over the years, the organization name changed several times. But the final change came in 2002 when paperwork was submitted to the State of New Mexico making the name official as we now know it, The Albuquerque Genealogical Society.
In 2010, the Genealogy Collection was moved to its current home on the 2nd floor of the Main Library at Fifth and Copper. But, “it was a sad day for those who loved the unique setting [at the Special Collections Library] that everyone had grown so fond of.”
And yet, you can see from the photos taken at this week’s event, all in attendance are quite proud of the current Genealogy Center!
We all enjoyed talking fondly of the wonderful collaboration between AGS and the Library. And Lynda specifically spoke about the partnership with all the amazing librarians over the years.
Words of wisdom
I’d like to share a few sentences from the preface of the book . . .
All volunteer efforts are not created equal. Each is a fragile entity, entirely dependent on the energy and motivation of its members for its continued existence. Such groups begin life with a collection of dedicated individuals with a presumed common goal. Over the years, the goal may fade; the members may move on. Only by recruiting new members to carry on the traditions can such an effort survive.
The Albuquerque Genealogical Society (AGS) has been blessed over the years with strong and dedicated members, as this book documents. Furthermore, the original purpose was not only to further the genealogical research efforts of its members, but also to support the genealogy collection of the Albuquerque and Bernalillo County Public Library. This mission has been enhanced with a partnership of the genealogy librarians, true public servants . . .
It has been our honor to capture and compile the history and individual efforts of the first fifty years of AGS. We look forward with eagerness and anticipation to what the future holds, and we know that all members and librarians, past, present, and future, will appreciate what has been accomplished by so many as documented here. Poco a poco . . .
Sally Berg formally accepted a copy of the book on behalf of the Genealogy Center.
In conclusion
On behalf of AGS — past, present and future — I want to thank everyone who collaborated on this book. All of us are forever grateful for your dedication and hard work in preserving the history of this organization.
Finally, I hope I’ve convinced you to purchase a copy of the book. But be sure to get your order in as soon as possible, in order to take advantage of the special pre-order price (good until April 15th) and in time for pickup at the May 7th 50th Anniversary Event. Click here to order your copy today!
