Charles E. Beard, Professor and Director of University Libraries at the State University of West Georgia for 26 years, died June 2, 2004 at the age of 63. During his 26 years of service to Ingram Library, UWG, and the national library community, Charles was a tireless advocate for libraries, overseeing Ingram Library's transition to on-line cataloging and services and playing an instrumental role in advancing and extending access to GALILEO to all libraries and educational institutions in Georgia. Charles was a leader in the national library community, actively participating in professional associations, including the American Library Association (ALA), the Southeastern Library Association (SELA), the Georgia Library Association (GLA), the White House Conference on Libraries, the Regents Academic Committee on Libraries, the Georgia State Board for certification of librarians, and the Advisory Board of the Georgia Center for the Book. Charles was indeed committed to libraries, librarianship, and librarians themselves, a fact that was recently pointed out by a speaker at Charles' retirement reception: "There's not a librarian who doesn't know the name Charles Beard, nor a librarian whom Charles doesn't know."

In addition to his commitment to libraries and the profession of librarianship, Charles was also an advocate for the State University of West Georgia, serving as chair of UWG's 5-Year Facilities Master Planning Committee. UWG President Beheruz Sethna recently announced that "In recognition of the invaluable service that Charles Beard has provided to the University of West Georgia, the Facilities Master Plan that will guide the University's development for the next several years will henceforth be referred to as the Charles Beard Facilities Master Plan."

On May 28, 2004, UWG held a retirement party for Charles. Although Charles was too ill to attend the event, more than 100 of his friends, family, and colleagues came to honor and thank him for his years of service and remarkable accomplishments. We are posting pictures from his reception here as a tribute to Charles, to the indelible mark he has left on UWG, librarianship, and his friends, family, and colleagues.

-- C. Stevens