[GBW] Posting

[Peter Geraty <pgeraty@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

This posting is to announce the passing of Ellen Becker and the  
dispersion of some of her bookbinding equipment.
Following is an announcement from the Brattleboro Reformer, February  
12, 2008.	


	Ellen (Van de Voort) Becker, 97, died Sunday, Feb. 10, 2008,
following a long illness.
	She was born in Crafton, Pa., Aug. 15, 1910, the daughter of
Elizabeth (Cleeland) and Carl Van der Voort.
	As a child, she was given piano lessons, which she didn’t
particularly like, but at the age of 11 she was introduced to the cello
and immediately fell in love with it.
	The cello played a large part in the rest of her life. Wherever
she lived, she got together with other amateur musicians to play chamber
music.
	She attended schools in the Pittsburgh area and graduated from
Allegheny High School in 1928 and from the Carnegie Institute of
Technology fine arts division, where she studied with Joseph Derdeyn,
graduating in 1932, with a degree in music. She then set sail for
Vienna, Austria to study cello there. Her chaperone for the boat
crossing was the journalist Dorothy Thompson.
	In Vienna, she was introduced to Loftus E. Becker of Buffalo,
N.Y., to whom she was married in 1934. They had three children and
because of the disruptions of World War II lived in many places,
including Hawaii, the New York area, the Washington, D.C. area, and
Paris. After many years, the marriage ended in divorce.
	Mrs. Becker then moved to Havertown, Pa., near Philadelphia and
expanded on the practice of bookbinding that she had begun in Paris,
spending a year in Florence, Italy, to study with bookbinders there. In
Pennsylvania, she continued her study of bookbinding with Fritz
Eberhardt. She also continued studying the cello with Hermann Busch.
	In 1971, she decided to move to Vermont to be close to the
Marlboro Music Festival concerts, which she had enjoyed as a visitor.
She played in local amateur chamber music groups here, continued her
bookbinding, and gave cello and bookbinding lessons to many local
people.
	Her greatest joy was in providing a home where her relatives
could gather for the holidays.
	She is survived by two daughters, Susan B. Hussein and husband
Ma’moun of Boonton, N.J., and Gretchen E. Becker of Halifax; and a son,
Loftus E. Becker Jr. and wife Sandra of Hartford, Conn.; four
grandchildren, Shannon (Noni) L. Broughton-Smith and her husband Steve
Smith of Barnard, Munir Hussein of New York City, Amal Hussein of
Rockaway, N.J.; and Hanan H. Knoll and husband Felix of Madison, N.J.;
six great-grandchildren; nieces and nephews.
	The family is grateful to her caregivers, who gave her more than
care: they gave her love in her final years. They are many, but the
longtime caregivers include Félicité Adjoua, Joan Carey, Lava Mueller,
Mary Sargent, Doug Frantz, Christina Ceglia, Kate Fleming, Kathy Carr,
Stephanie Kressen, Alice Revis, Susan Kunhardt, and Nadia Ekon.
	A memorial (the memorial took place last weekend) will be announced  
at a future date.
Those who wish may send donations to the Brattleboro Music Center,  
the Marlboro Music
Festival, Brattleboro Are Hospice, Marlboro Cares, or the Hallowell
Singers.


Linda Lembke and I have some of her equipment which need homes.

1. a Kwik Print Model 55 Stamping Press and type holder - $500.
2. some full and partial skins of leather - $10 - 75. depending upon  
size and condition
3. some finishing tools (Not Many) - various prices
4. a few rolls of sewing tape - $3. each
5. a 17.5" job backer - $1500.

Please contact me if you are interested in anything listed here.

Peter Geraty
Praxis Bindery
1 Cottage Street, Unit 18
Easthampton, MA 01027-1667
pgeraty@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
413-527-7275



****************************************************
GBW: The email list for GBW member communications

GBW Standards - October 16-18, 2008
Toronto, Ontario
More info at http://palimpsest.stanford.edu/byorg/gbw/standards.shtml

The GBW website is supported and maintained by
Conservation OnLine http://palimpsest.stanford.edu/byorg/gbw

To post messages, email to GBW@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

For problems, contact Eric Alstrom, List Manager:
gbwlist@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

For info about the list, visit http://mailman.lib.msu.edu/mailman/listinfo/gbw
****************************************************