2018 VLA Honorary Life Members

VLA is honored to announce our 2018 VLA Honorary Life Members, voted on by the VLA membership during our recent election. Connie Gilman, Alison Heartwell and Lydia Williams will be recognized at the VLA Scholarship & Awards Banquet in the Granby Ballroom on the Third Floor of Hilton Norfolk The Main, from 6:00 pm - 8:00 pm. If you would like to purchase a ticket to the event, the $55.00 price includes the cost of your meal and provides support for the VLA Awards Program. Our Ticket Purchase page lists our menus and all dietary options.


Connie Gilman

In 2016, Connie Gillman retired as Director of the Prince William County Library System. She has been an active member of VLA for over 20  years. Connie has held various VLA positions, including Secretary and 2012 President. Her commitment to libraries and librarians is very strong and she has mentored many young librarians and those who are new to the profession. As director of the Prince William Public Library system, she continuously encouraged librarians and other staff to attend professional conferences and other continuing education courses sponsored by VLA. Connie, through her VLA involvement, and through her daily life as a librarian and library administrator, has advocated to politicians, library board members, and county employees for the profession.


Alison D. Heartwell

Alison Heartwell is a 1970 graduate of Mary Washington College (now the University of Mary Washington), and in 1973, she received her MLS from the University of Maryland.  Immediately following graduation, she was hired at the Central Rappahannock Regional Library in Fredericksburg as the third professional in the newly organized library system.  She was placed in charge of Outreach and Cataloging, and later became Head of Adult Services.  Two life-changing events occurred in 1981.  First, she married Michael Kuchinski, a mathematician for the Department of the Navy.  Soon after, Donna Cote, the newly  appointed Director of the CRRL, promoted her to the position of Deputy Director.  For the next 30 years, she had the privilege of working side by side with this visionary director who forged an award-winning library system.


In 2010, Alison retired from the CRRL to care for her mother, and later, to assist as back-up caregiver of their two grandchildren, Elliott, four and a half, and Isla, eight months.   Both grandchildren have a passionate love of books which makes this librarian very happy and proud!  Alison is active in the Fredericksburg Literary Club, the oldest book club in Fredericksburg, dating back to 1892.  She also indulges her love of traveling, and so far has visited Scotland, Ireland, Wales, the Netherlands, Slovenia, Malta and Italy.  She looks forward to traveling to Spain next year, and, as always, counts on her public library for everything she needs to plan her trip.


Lydia Williams

An advocate for VLA since joining in 1990, Lydia Williams has been involved in a variety of roles. She became an active member of the VLA Professional Associates Forum in 1995 becoming quickly immersed in planning and implementing the VLAPAF annual conference. Over the years she served four terms as co-chair of the VLAPA Forum and several years as recording secretary.  
Since the mid-1990s, she has served on the VLA Continuing Education Committee, the Scholarship Committee, and the Conference Planning Committee. She served on the editorial board for Virginia Libraries for many years contributing reports for the VLAPAF conferences and session write-ups for VLA’s annual conference. She served as VLA Secretary from 2004 to 2006. Lydia considers VLA to have been a very important part of her library career providing opportunities to meet and network with wonderful people from across Virginia.   

She recently retired from Longwood University where she worked in the Greenwood Library for 44 wonderful years. She does not know what the future holds, but she knows that libraries will always be a part of her life.


–Last updated 9/27/2017