Freedom to Read Foundation Gala Pays Tribute to the Late Judith Krug

Last Sunday's Freedom to Read Foundation 40th Anniversary Gala in the new Modern Wing of the Art Institute of Chicago was both a celebration and a moving tribute to Judith F. Krug, director of the American Library Association's Office of Intellectual Freedom from its founding in 1967 to her death in April of stomach cancer. Krug was a founder of the Freedom to Read Foundation and one of the creators of Banned Books Week, celebrated annually by librarians, booksellers, and readers across the country.

A staunch advocate for readers' First Amendment rights, Krug was honored at the celebration with the presentation of the William J. Brennan, Jr. Award and the FTRF's Founder's Award, accepted by her daughter, Michelle Litchman, and her husband, Herb Krug, respectively. The Brennan Award, presented by Robert M. O'Neil, foundering director of The Thomas Jefferson Center, recognized Krug for a lifetime of activity devoted to enhancing the liberties of free speech and press. In presenting the FTRF's Founders Award, author Judy Blume said, in a heartfelt tribute to her friend, Judith Krug was "determined, tough, strong, courageous, loyal, and unstoppable," as reported by The Library Journal.

"It was a truly moving evening," said ABA CEO Oren Teicher, who was the founding president of the American Booksellers Foundation for Free Expression (ABFFE). "When I first became involved in free expression/first amendment issues over 20 years ago, Judith Krug was one of the first people I met. Judith was indispensable to this cause. More than any other single individual, her unique stamp was evident in all we did. She was a strong and effective advocate who always encouraged librarians, booksellers, and publishers to work together in the name of the First Amendment. To say that she will be missed is a colossal understatement."

ABFFE President Chris Finan said, "All of Judith's friends had been looking forward to the 40th anniversary of the Freedom to Read Foundation as an opportunity to express our gratitude for her illustrious career as a defender of free speech. We lost that opportunity when she died in April. So we used the gala at the Art Institute to celebrate her great legacy -- strong institutions that will continue the fight for free speech and a legion of activists inspired by her example."