August 31, 2006 Issue
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Classified Chestnut Hill Local Online Editor Don't Miss an Issue, Tell us what you see or ©2006 Chestnut Hill Local Winner of One |
ObituariesChestnut Hill librarian Robert Gallagher dies
at 61
Robert Gallagher, a longtime librarian at the Chestnut Hill branch of the Free Library of Philadelphia, died August 7 after a brief illness. He was 61. Gallagher was well known to Chestnut Hill library patrons for his encyclopedic knowledge of literature and religion, for his ability to provide extemporaneous analysis of the most complex texts and to recite from memory long passages of Shakespeare, Yeats, and Joyce. Friends said he could recount ancient and obscure religious beliefs, as if the visions of their founders, especially Emanuel Swedenborg, had occurred to him personally. He was also a poet, essayist, scholar, fiction-writer, actor, playwright, musician, and master metaphysician. Gallagher was born in 1945 and grew up in Bucks County, Pa. At 15, he read the plays and sonnets of Shakespeare and taught himself the Egyptian alphabet. In the mid-1960s, he attended Hobart College, where he studied philosophy, then returned to Philadelphia after graduation. While working at Robins Bookstore in Center City and later at various branches of the Public Library, he wrote plays, including Faustus Unblocked, which was performed several times by local theater companies, an experimental novel, Lingerman’s Handoracle, which was excerpted in the Painted Bride Quarterly, and Whirlpool in Porcelain, a meta-memoir, as well as countless poems, essays, book reviews, tracts and philosophical treatises. “He had a genius for putting words together,” a friend Leon Carlin said. According to his friends, Gallagher was a great punster, prankster and juggler, keeping up to five balls in the air at one time. He composed rhymed couplets and entertained children at birthday parties. He wrote and recited clever poetic tributes for his compatriots throughout the library system and played recorder in the Philadelphia Renaissance Ensemble, Quittidas. Every Halloween, for the Ghost Walk in Chestnut Hill, Gallagher wrote and performed epic poems with titles like the “Mummiad,” “Zombiad,” and “Vampyriad.” He is survived by his longtime partner, Kathleen Carlin, and dozens of friends who remember him as funny, kind, gentle and erudite. A memorial service is planned for Friday, September 15 at 7 p.m. in the
back room of the Chestnut Hill branch library. People who knew Gallagher
or knew of him are invited to bring and share stories, anecdotes, and
poems. Friends with anecdotes or any of Gallagher’s literary work
they would like to see preserved or published should contact don.silver@verizon.net. Russell had worked in garage doors sales and service, retiring from the Overhead Door company. An avid Phillies fan, he also built grandfather clocks and dollhouses and loved doing crossword puzzles. He was a member of Walker Lodge #306 IOOF, Mt. Airy Presbyterian Church and the church’s Men’s Bible Class. Russell was predeceased by his wife, Jane. He is survived by two daughters, Jane Danihel (Charles) and Doris R. Lurwick, D.O.; two sons, Donald R. Lurwick and E. Russell Lurwick Jr. (Jacqueline); a brother, Charles Lurwick (Eleanor); three grandchildren, Charles Danihel, Joseph Danihel and Courtney Franklin, and eleven great-grandchildren. An IOOF service and a funeral service were held at the Kirk & Nice Funeral Home in Plymouth Meeting on August 27 and August 28. Interment was at George Washington Memorial Park. Memorial donations may be made to Walker Lodge MIC Fund, 1290 Southampton
Rd., Phila., PA, 19116. Elected president of the Museum Council in 1973, Hauck became the first woman to fill that prestigious post. Earlier, she had been curator of museum collections for the Historical Society of Pennsylvania. A direct descendant of John Hart, who signed the Declaration of Independence on behalf of New Jersey, Hauck was fascinated by her family’s history. Her interest in her ancestry led to a 25-year love affair with the Historical Society. Hauck was the daughter of Elizabeth and Percy LaCroix Charlton, a judge in Maple Shade, N.J. After graduating from Moorestown High School, she returned to Philadelphia, the family’s former home, and began exploring the city with enthusiasm. In 1943, she married Lieutenant Joseph Bernard Hauck in Albuquerque, N.M., where he was stationed with the U.S. Army Air Force. Their son, Joseph B. Hauck Jr., was born there. She said of her family, “They arrived in the New World on one of the earliest ships after the Mayflower, and served proudly in every war from the French and Indian Wars to the Vietnam conflict.” Hauck’s son Joseph served as a psychological warfare officer in Vietnam and later died from the effects of Agent Orange. Richard Norris Williams II, a director of the Historical Society, asked Hauck to become the society’s membership controller. She later became curator of collections and enjoyed coordinating special events. She was named an honorary fellow of the Museum Council and a life member of the Historical Society. Hauck was a member of the Daughters of the Cincinnati, the National Society of the Colonial Dames in America, the Daughters of the American Revolution, Dames of the Loyal Legion and Descendants of Colonial Clergy. A member of the Descendants of the Signers of the Declaration of Independence, she was given the rare privilege of ringing the Liberty Bell before the opening of the Bicentennial celebrations in 1976. Hauck also was a member of the Society for the Preservation of Landmarks and served as treasurer of the Philadelphia Committee on City Policy. She served on the boards of the City Parks Association and the Rittenhouse Square Flower Market and on the President’s Advisory Board of Spring Garden College. Hauck’s husband preceded her in death. She is survived by her beloved companion, William Mackrides; a cherished friend, Louis W. Meehan, and many nieces and nephews. A celebration of her life will be held on August 26. |
