SLIS hosting librarian Dr. Lowrie’s 95th Birthday Celebration on Oct. 11

Posted by Natalie Kates on
Dr. Jean E. Lowrie
Dr. Jean E. Lowrie

Esteemed librarian, Dr. Jean E. Lowrie, will be celebrating her 95th birthday on Friday, Oct. 11.  The celebration, hosted by School of Library & Information Studies (SLIS), will take place at The Dolphin Bar & Shrimp Grill at 1401 NE Indian River Dr. in Jensen Beach, FL.  If you would like to attend this event, please RSVP at cci.fsu.edu/rsvp by Oct.10.

Born in Northville, New York, Lowrie was an influential leader in librarianship and elementary education.  She received her B.A. from Keuka College and B.S.L.S from Western Reserve University.  She later completed her M.A. in Elementary Education at Western Michigan University and Ph.D. at Western Reserve University.

Lowrie was director of the school of librarianship at Western Michigan University (1963–1981).  She served as president of the American Library Association (ALA) from 1973-74, was the first recipient of the ALA’s American Association of School Librarians Distinguished Service Award (1978), and founded the International Association of School Librarianship (IASL).  The IASL’s mission is to provide an international forum for promoting effective school library media programs as practical instruments in the educational process.  Lowrie also became the first woman President of Faculty Senate at Western Michigan University School Library in Kalamazoo.

Former National Librarian of Iceland, Sigrun Klara Hannesdottir, who has been inspired by Lowrie remarked, “She has always been untiring in developing school libraries around the world and has used her untiring imagination to point out new ways to lead the developments.”

In honor of her many accomplishments the “Dr. Jean E. Lowrie Endowment” was established at SLIS by Dr. Wayne Wiegand, faculty emeritus and former student of Lowrie’s at Western Michigan University.  The endowment aims to award scholarships and fellowships to SLIS students.  Donations provided to the endowment not only honor Lowrie’s 95 years of accomplishments, but also support the success and training of future librarians.

To find out more about donating to the Dr. Jean E. Lowrie Endowment, please contact Mafé Brooks at 850.645.8312 or mafe.brooks@cci.fsu.edu.  You can also read information on this Dr. Jean E. Lowrie Endowment Brochure PDF.

Dr. Jean E. Lowrie 95th Birthday Invitation is available at this link as a PDF.