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Remembering Bro. Bill Fackovec

You may know that Bro. Bill Fackovec, who had been and worked with us for so many years as a friend and a dedicated librarian at the service of the Blessed Virgin Mary, passed away earlier this week, on April 7, 2014, a few days short of his eighty-­ninth birthday.  

Born in New York City, he is survived by his sister, Margaret DePaso and her children. 

Bro. Bill made first profession in the Society of Mary in 1946. He taught for several years at North Catholic High School in Pittsburgh and acquired his MLS from Case Western University.  He began to work at the Marian Library in August, 1960, and was active in the two locations the Marian Library occupied previous to its present location in the Roesch Library. 

Bro. Bill represents what once was the classical model for a librarian – one with familiarity with literature, history, theology, music, art, and facility in several languages (classical and modern, including Slavic languages.)

For several decades, every few years, Bro. Bill visited book dealers in Eastern and Western Europe who specialized in rare and antiquarian books.  His efforts have resulted in the Rare Book Collection of the Marian Library which now numbers about 7,000 books, of which two thirds are unique items.  

At a ceremony on October 14, 2010, in recognition of his contributions and fifty years of dedicated service, the collection was designated The Bro. William Fackovec Rare Book Collection. 

The funeral arrangements for Bro. Bill have been made official: Visitation will take place at the Queen of Apostles Chapel at Mt. St. John, 4435 E. Patterson Rd., from 10:00 to 11:00 AM on Saturday, April 12, followed by the Mass of Christian Burial at 11:00 AM. Burial will follow immediately at the Queen of Heaven Cemetery, Mt. St. John, Dayton, OH. A lunch at Bergamo Center, Mt. St. John, will be provided at 12:30 PM.

Thank you for keeping Bro. Bill in your prayers,

- Fr. François Rossier, S.M., Executive Director, Marian Library/International Marian Research Institute

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