It is with heavy hearts that we announce the passing of former Social Law Library deputy director Maria Sekula, who lost a long battle with illness on Sunday, February 15. She was 81 years old.
Anyone who knew Maria, and there were many, understood that she embodied a huge spirit that guided and nurtured colleagues and staff alike. Beginning her career as an administrative assistant, then as assistant to the Library’s director, the late Edgar Bellefontaine, she eventually became the deputy director, and the two formed an incomparable team that transformed the Social law Library into a pre-eminent institution. Her responsibilities were vast and varied, but Maria never missed an opportunity to show care for the smallest of details in the interest of bettering the quality of life for her employees and the image of the Library.
Beyond her involvement with Social Law Library duties, she was also an active participant in professional organizations such as the Association of Boston Law Librarians, the Law Librarians of New England, and the American Association of Law Libraries’ Special Interest Section of State, Court, and County Law Libraries. She was much admired and held in high esteem by her many contemporaries and friends in the library profession.
After retiring in 2000, Maria remained involved in her church and in the lives of her family members,both in the U.S. and in western Ukraine, where she was born.
Those who worked with Maria remember her fondly as a kind and compassionate woman and director who shared genuine affection and concern for the staff and the Library. She was a consummate professional as well as a good friend.
Trustees and Staff, Social Law Library