Dr. Elizabeth Fordon

Dr. Elizabeth Fordon, 71, died April 3, 2016 after a long illness with interstitial lung disease. “Betsy,” as she was widely known, was the spouse of the Rev. Dr. John Fordon. He reports that she loved to travel, attend opera, theater, and concerts, and play bridge. She embraced Unitarian Universalism with unbounded enthusiasm, letting all who knew her see her values and belief system. In later years, she focused on raising money for young and impoverished women seeking abortions of unwanted pregnancies, until poor health began to diminish her strength.

She was the devoted mother of Andrew (who passed away at age 23,) and her grown son Philip Reed. She loved being grandmother of Philip’s children — Claire, Connor, and Brendan — and stepmother to John’s five adult children.

Betsy’s passion was her profession as a librarian. She held every possible position in public libraries, from being a teenage book-shelver to a professional Reference and then Children’s Librarian, in Florida and New York. She was a consultant for the Office of Commonwealth Libraries of Pennsylvania, an adjunct professor at several colleges and universities, and finally the director of a multi-library system in Pennsylvania. She held a Masters of Science in Library Science from Florida State University, a Masters of Public Administration from Long Island University, and a Doctor of Philosophy in Library Science, also from Florida State. She was an ardent advocate for all libraries and their staffs, collections, and programs.

John suggests that gifts of remembrance be directed to the donor’s local library.