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Suzanne (Sue) Husband

July 12, 2007

Suzanne (Sue) Husband, who for more than 20 years filled several key positions in the Western Michigan University Archives and Regional History Collections Office, died July 11. She was 66.

Husband served longest as the office's curator of regional history collections. In addition to her more than 20 years of employment, she also volunteered at the office for several years. In all, her connection to the WMU Archives and Regional History Collections spans 25 years.

It was Husband's love of local history and old books that brought her to the archives office in the early 1980s. She also had multi-generational connections to the region and had worked on her family genealogy for years. Husband was also a fount of knowledge about regional history, especially the built environment. She was particularly familiar with the work of local architects Ernest Batterson and William Stone.

Husband served the greater University Libraries and was involved in several local organizations as well. She served several terms on the Library Staff Advisory Board in the 1980s and 1990s. She also was active in the Kalamazoo Valley Genealogical Society, Kalamazoo County Historical Society and Kalamazoo County Preservation
Alliance during the same period.

Husband leaves a substantial legacy. She influenced countless students completing
internships. Some of those former students now work in libraries and archives. Researchers will continue to benefit from the finding aids she prepared for collections. Among many preservation projects, she, along with other WMU archivists, were instrumental in preserving the region's paper-company history by sorting through soggy documents at abandoned mills.

A visitation is set for 11 a.m. to noon Saturday, July 14, at Life Story Funeral Home, 5975 Lovers Lane, Portage, followed by a funeral service at noon, also at the funeral home.

Media contact: Mark Schwerin, (269) 387-8400, mark.schwerin@wmich.edu

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