Millennium Magazine_8th Ed

76 Millennium - A Marquis Who’s Who Magazine EDUCATION G erald Lawson Gill has boasted a fervent passion for reading since he was a young boy. Upon taking an aptitude test while attending the University of Georgia for his undergraduate studies, he discovered that librarianship would best suit his skills. After receiving a BA in history, philosophy and religion in 1971, he subsequently went on to attend the University of Wisconsin-Madison, where he graduated with an MA in library science in 1973. Commencing his career in 1974, Mr. Gill served James Madison University in Harrisonburg, Virginia, for a resounding 36 years. First acting as a cataloger between 1974 and 1976, he went on to become a reference librarian, holding the position until 1987. From there, he was a business reference librarian for the following 12 years. A former government documents librarian at the university for five years, he subsequently escalated to the rank of head of reference and government documents in 2003. Lending his expertise to teaching as well, he was an instructor at James Madison for six years, an assistant professor for 10 years, an associate professor for 12 years and a full professor for eight years prior to attaining emeritus status in 2010. Alongside his primary pursuits, Mr. Gill was a three-year member of the editorial board of the James Madison Journal, and he also served as a reviewer for American Reference Books Annual. A contributor of articles to esteemed journals, he also maintained membership with the Special Librarians Association, for whom he served as treasurer and president of the Virginia chapter. Likewise, he was affiliated with the American Library Association as chairman of the business reference services committee and was twice a parliamentarian for the Virginia Library Association. In light of his successes, Mr. Gill has been honoredwithmultiple accolades. In 1991, the American Association for the Advancement of Science bestowed uponhimtheBusiness LibrarianshipExcellenceAward and theGaleResearch Award. In addition to these achievements, he cites a career highlight to be his involvement with the American Library Association at James Madison, for whom he created a business section with 800 other librarians. GERALD LAWSON GILL PROFESSOR EMERITUS James Madison University Harrisonburg, VA