In Memoriam Donald LeRoy Garbrecht

The faculty of the reestablished University of Maine law school held its first meeting in Washington in May 1962, during the annual session of the American Law Institute. The first order of business included an interview with one Donald L. Garbrecht, who had been recommended to serve as assistant to the librarian, Dr. Arthur Pulling. After Don had successfully undergone an interview and we had voted—unanimously, for once—Dr. Pulling looked at us in the earnest way he had when he was enthusiastic about something and said, "He'll be fine!" His prophecy proved to be correct. It should be counted as one of Dr. Pulling's achievements that he was able to detect Don's great ability and awaken his interest in creating a university law library. Don's approach to the library's share of the law school budget was realistic but based on the axiom that a law school can never be much better than its library. Don worked out most of the details of the systems and arrangements now in effect in the University of Maine Law Library to a large extent from his own ideas of what a good library should be and do. It is appropriate that it be dedicated as a living monument to him. It was his combination of perspective with the disposition to take prompt and vigorous action when goals were clear, that was the hallmark of Don Garbrecht's administration of the library. Whether that rare combination was the result of the nature of his work, or whether it may have grown from some premonition that he did not have much time to do all that needed to be done, I do not know. I do know we have lost a wonderful librarian, colleague, teacher, and friend.