This endowment honors the memory of Phyllis Gilbert (1935–2003), principal word processing specialist and an employee of the UCLA Department of Chemical Engineering in Boelter Hall for more than twenty-three years. Early on, at a time when typewriters and three carbon copies were de rigueur, faculty acknowledged her dedication and skillful preparation of their articles for publication. In addition to her sought-after typing skills,Ms. Gilbert always made time for students. She frequently told her family, “If not for the students, none of us would be here.” She counseled students, some of whom were away from home for the first time, and was always cognizant of those who seemed to get lost in the crowd. In addition, she knew the faculty’s children and kept treats for them in her desk. With her dedication to faculty in preparing manuscripts that would later appear on bookshelves, and her commitment to helping the department’s students, Ms. Gilbert endeared herself to many. The endowment, funded by an anonymous donor, provides for acquisitions in materials chemistry – electrochemistry. The donor hopes that this endowment will encourage others, including faculty in the Henry Samueli School of Engineering and Applied Science, to provide funding for engineering disciplines supported by the Science and Engineering Library.
