Dear friends of Henrietta Smith,

On May 2, 2012 our friend and colleague, Henrietta M. Smith, turns 90. Ninety years old. Although she has received many awards and honors, we want to honor her again, over the next few weeks, for her 90th birthday in two ways. We, the undersigned, invite you to join us, and to invite your friends and colleagues everywhere to:

1-Send her personal birthday greetings, either by email to [log in to unmask]<mailto:[log in to unmask]> , or with cards and messages via U.S. Mail to Henrietta M. Smith, c/o Maria Treadwell, 4802 NW 92nd Avenue, Sunrise, FL 33351.

2- Commit to a one-time or, more preferably, an annual donation to the Dr. Henrietta M. Smith Youth Services Endowed Fund, initiated by Henrietta to support the employment of a faculty position focused on ‘training for the selection and use of materials for children and youth’ at the University of South Florida, where she still teaches. The donation URL is: https://usfweb2.usf.edu/foundation/asp/ssl/adfdn/funds.asp?dept=LIS&group=TA
Select #426059, “Dr. Henrietta M. Smith Youth Services Endowed Fund” (her preference)

PLEASE DO BOTH NOW, BEFORE HER BIRTHDAY, MAY 2, 2012.

As a librarian and library educator, Henrietta Mays Smith has educated, advocated, represented, shepherded, mentored, guided, modeled, and in other countless ways fought for the best in youth literature, and for professionally-prepared and supported librarians, libraries, and library education for as long as we’ve known her. She has especially focused on materials, services, training, and access for issues that relate to all children and families, especially, but not limited to traditionally underserved populations, including African Americans, Latinos, and other people of color, with a myriad of abilities, nationalities, backgrounds, and life circumstances. Also note that that her husband of 63 years, Judge I.C. Smith, died a few weeks ago.

2011 Henrietta M. Smith is Coretta Scott King-Virginia Hamilton Practitioner Award for Lifetime Achievement<http://www.ala.org/news/pr?id=6075>

2009 Henrietta M. Smith is HistoryMaker<http://www.thehistorymakers.com/biography/biography.asp?bioindex=1704&category=EducationMakers&occupation=Children%92s%20%20Librarian%2C%20Storyteller%20%26%20Educator&name=Henrietta%20Mays%20Smith>

THANK YOU in advance for supporting this noteworthy recognition! And thanks for doing it NOW! Henrietta deserves our attention!