A Tribute to Betty Eddison
by Hope Tillman, tillman@babson.edu

Elizabeth "Betty" Bole Eddison passed away on July 31, 2006, following a lengthy illness. She had a very rich life and career and was a long-time active member of the Boston Chapter.

A Memorial Service was held Saturday, September 9th, at the Church of Our Redeemer, 6 Meriam St., Lexington, Mass. with a Reception following across the street at the Old Depot. In lieu of flowers donations in her memory may be made to The Town of Lexington's Jack Eddison Blossom Fund, c/o Town of Lexington, 1625 Massachusetts Ave, Lexington, Massachusetts, USA, 02420.

Her husband's career working for the Department of State and Ford Foundation took them all over the world, living in 18 locations in 20 years. She spoke with pride about her contributions in setting up libraries and teaching.

Betty became involved in library science after she and her family settled in Lexington, Massachusetts. Following her graduation from Simmons in 1973 she and her classmate Alice Sizer Warner founded Warner-Eddison Associates, a consulting company that designed ways for special libraries to organize and manage information. In the 1980's Betty and Karen Brothers founded Inmagic. Betty retired as chairman of the Board in 2001.

She served on the SLA Board of Directors 1991-1994. She served on a number of chapter committees and was a familiar face at chapter meetings. She was honored as a Fellow of the Association in 1995 and inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2002. She was awarded the Boston Chapter Special Recognition award in 2002.

She cared deeply about Lexington, Massachusetts. Betty served for eight years as selectwoman in Lexington following in the footsteps of her husband Jack. Jack Eddison was one of the principal advocates for the Minuteman Commuter Bikeway and saw to its completion. There are a number of "Jack Eddison Memorial Minuteman Bikeway" signs along the bikeway in Lexington. Betty established the Blossom Fund as a source for funding projects by the Lexington Bicycle Advisory Committee and the Friends of the Minuteman Bikeway.

Memories of Betty from Chapter members:

I still have the binder that Warner-Eddison Associates, Inc. put together in response to a plea from Price Waterhouse (Now PwC) to set up an Information Center in the Boston office. The cover letter is dated August 4, 1975. I owe my position and much of what I know about running a special library to Betty. She was a true mentor. Always available but never pushy with her advice. Once she became less active in her company, Sarah Warner and I used to have dinner with her in downtown Lexington. She was always up to date on what was going on in the profession especially SLA. And she still had good advice for Sarah and me. I have missed her over the last few years. She would have loved to hear about the evolution of the job she created at PwC.-- Jean Scanlan, PricewaterhouseCoopers

"Betty was an important mentor for me. It was Betty who encouraged me to be active at the Association level. This included being editor of the Library Management Division newsletter and appointment to the Public Relations Committee. She was a pleasure to work with. She was very helpful with sharing information and making suggestions regarding my career." -- Sarah Warner, Wontawk

"I recall being somewhat in awe of Betty when I first became active at the SLA level. She was often the person who, with supreme self-confidence, contributed some well articulated, cutting edge, often challenging ideas to the discussion at hand. Later, I had the good fortune to follow behind her as Chair of LMD and to get to know her better on a personal level. I remember some great group dinners with her at various conferences and the very lively conversations. I was sad that she had retired by the time I came to the Boston area. If I were asked to rattle off a brief list of the people I consider SLA "icons" from my era, Betty Edison would definitely be among them. I'm very glad I knew her." -- Liz Bibby, Harvard Business School, Baker Library

"Betty was forward-looking and cared deeply about the future of the profession and the education of librarians. She was an early entrepreneur in the information industry, and a role model for many SLA members. When I moved to Boston I began to know Betty as a friend and local colleague/mentor. I was very pleased when Betty as an entrepreneurial and successful business woman agreed to join Babson's Library/IT Advisory Board. Her opinions and thoughts were insightful and valuable." During my presidency in 2002 I was particularly pleased to acknowledge Betty with the SLA Hall of Fame award. For several of her later years Betty was at the same nursing home as my mother-in-law, and Betty would brighten up when I mentioned SLA. I miss her personally and professionally. -- Hope Tillman, Babson College

The Lexington Minuteman article on Betty and her contributions to her community: http://www2.townonline.com/lexington/localRegional/view.bg?articleid=548403

The Boston Globe Obituary and Tribute page to Betty:
http://www.legacy.com/BostonGlobe/DeathNotices.asp?Page=Lifestory&PersonId=18724243