Sherry Kumler, treasurer for the Association of Children’s Librarians of Northern California, has retired after serving our organization for nearly 40 years. She will still be attending meetings, but the treasurer’s duties have been passed along to Miriam Medow. In celebration of her service, ACL held a reception in Sherry’s honor, with this wonderful speech from Linda Perkins:
Whether driving from Santa Cruz to Oakland for a 9 am meeting– and she always arrives early– or driving the five to six hours from Quincy, Sherry Kumler has literally gone the distance for ACL. And she has done so for decades.
It is not true that she first dealt with Continental currency. It is true, however, that the ACL dollar in Sherry’s first years as ACL treasurer is worth thirty-seven cents today.
She is always early not only to meetings, but also to events like Institutes and the Performers’ Showcases, handling registrations, checks, and receipts, usually missing the first part of the programs, as latecomers arrive.
Decades of memberships, showcases, institutes, and book-sale funds have been entered, tallied, and balanced by Sherry. She has paid the bills, maintained the records, and warned and advised us on our finances.
On balance, we owe her a debt of gratitude.
On behalf of the ACL membership– past and present– many thanks for your longstanding and outstanding contributions to the Association of Children’s Librarians of Northern California.
Thanks to Sherry (and others like Linda) who served ACL for decades, passing along knowledge and wisdom to new children’s librarians in the Bay Area!
Well, I’m happy to say that even retired, Sherry’s still passing along her knowledge and wisdom — to me! I wouldn’t be half the children’s librarian I am today if she hadn’t been here at our little rural library volunteering at storytime every single week. She’s such a treasure 🙂