2022 VLA Citation: Pierre Courtois

One of my final duties as VLA president is to award the 2022 Presidential Citation, a special award given at the president’s discretion to a person who has made a significant impact on the Association. This year’s award is somewhat bittersweet, as it is being made posthumously.

Longtime attendees of Virginia Library Association events may have noticed a significant loss this year; that of Pierre Courtois. Pierre was the official photographer for the Virginia Library Association’s annual and Professional Associates conferences for three decades. He sadly passed away in June. 

The 2022 Presidential Citation is awarded to photographer Pierre Courtois in recognition of his long and skillful service to the Virginia Library Association as the official visual documentarian of annual meetings. 

Those of you who had the pleasure of meeting Pierre may remember his friendly demeanor and ready smile. Pierre had a special ability to put subjects at ease in formal shots and to catch great informal moments at our conferences. What you may not have seen was his dedication to lifelong learning including guiding us into the digital photography world and his deep skill in documentary photography techniques. 

I encourage you to read Lydia Williams’ interview with Pierre, A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words, published in Virginia Libraries in 2009. His love for his craft, open and caring nature, and deep connection with libraries comes through brilliantly in the article. He noted that one of his most fun regular assignments was the Professional Associates Forum, because, quote “It is so much fun to see people enjoying themselves dancing and laughing with such heart. ... It may be easy for me because I am one of them.”

Pierre was one of us. I can think of no better person to honor with the VLA Citation this year; I only wish he were here to receive it in person while we, for once, took photos of him. At this time, please join me in celebrating and remembering Pierre with a round of applause. [Pause] A copy of the citation will be presented to Pierre’s widow, Leslie, after the conference. 

-KT Vaughan, VLA President, October 21, 2022