Acknowledgements

This book could not have been written without the help of a number of people who in various ways came through for me when I needed their support or help. I am indebted to my sons Edward and Paul D’Alessandro for encouraging me to continue writing at those times that my will to continue waned because the words were not flowing as they should and I was tempted to give up. I am also grateful to my son Paul for first rescuing my first draft when I had abandoned it as a lost cause because of its format and had it typed on a computer at his cost by a commercial firm, and then for his continuing advice and counsel as I wrote and rewrote the book’s chapters over a period of approximately two and a half years. Many thanks go to Paul for the many hours he spent editing the manuscript as I was bringing it to a close. My son Edward gets the credit for seeing that I finally got a computer which made it possible for me to finish writing the book in proper form. In this connection, I must not forget David Miller my friend and fellow retiree at the Westlake Village Retirement Community in Westlake, Ohio who became my mentor and computer instructor and who on many occasions came to my rescue when I goofed as I composed. He served as backup in that capacity at those times when I was unable to reach either xiv My Father Was a Tailor Edward or Paul, who also bailed me out of many computer composition problems. I must not forget to thank Dr. Thomas Mann, Reference Librarian at the Library of Congress whose friendship and encouragement over the years also helped me to persevere in the writing of this book.

Last but not least, my appreciation goes to my niece Joanne Conyngham, to my nephew Robert D’Alessandro, and my sister-in-law Rita D’Alessandro for providing some of the photographs of my brothers Nick, Sol and Arthur, which grace some of the pages of this book.

My greatest debt is to my father Rocco D’Alessandro for the many hours he spent with me through my childhood and adult years passing on to me the family’s history and for motivating me to remember it in order to pass it on to his progeny and others through this book.

The research that verifies and supports the reporting of my Cleveland Public Library experiences was done over a period of five years. During those five years I would travel from my home in Virginia to visit and spend Easter and Christmas vacations with my son Edward and his family in North Olmsted, Ohio. During those holiday periods, I would spend three or four days researching the files of the Archives of the Cleveland Public Library. There my research was made possible only because of the gracious arrangements made for me by Frances Clark of the Library’s administrative staff and the personal help I received from Ann Olzewski the library’s archivist, who each time I  arrived made sure that the Library Board Minutes and other materials I required from the archives were waiting for me on a book truck in a private study room. I am eternally grateful to those two gracious ladies and to Director Marilyn Gell Mason who authorized the assistance they gave me.

The portion of the book dealing with my career at the Library of Congress and my recollections of events thereof have been based on and supported by personal reports, diary type notes, memoranda, documents and publications that are part of the public record.

Edward A. D’Alessandro
Westlake, Ohio 44145
January 1, 1999