To the Editor:

I am writing to express my extreme gratitude to Bob Mullen, a Cranston reference librarian. This summer, my family traveled to visit colleges in Washington, D.C. One of the visits was at Georgetown University, which had special meaning for my daughter, Marissa; her great-uncle, Dr. Joseph Walsh, graduated and worked there as the dean of the chemistry department. He later went on to medical school and became dean of two medical schools. Marissa loved her uncle and the two had a special bond, even though he lived in Iowa. Prior to our visit, Marissa did some research and found his dissertation: “Properties of Cr (III) Complexes” by Brother Joseph H. Walsh, S.M., B.S. Marissa tried to get it online but because it was so old, she was unable to and tried the Georgetown Library. On the visit to Georgetown, Marissa stopped in the library and requested a copy; unfortunately, it was so old it was in storage. She was told to contact our hometown library and they would order it for her. Shortly after the trip, I stopped at the Cranston library in Garden City and was fortunate enough to meet Bob Mullen. He took down all the information and started his journey. Bob would leave me messages letting me know how he was doing. Bob felt he was getting nowhere and I tried calling Georgetown. Nothing seemed to work. Marissa wanted the information to refer to in her essay to Georgetown, but now it was November and her application was already sent. Still, I thought it would be nice to give it to my 88-year-old father, who was crazy about his younger brother. I heard from Bob in November and he felt he was getting somewhere. Just this week, he called again and was unsure if it would ever happen. Two days later, he called and had received the document via email from Georgetown. How thrilled I was to hear this great news. I now have something to share with my father and children. I asked Bob how I could ever thank him and he said he was just glad to help. I felt he needed a bit more praise and hope his upper management sees this letter. Kudos to you, Bob Mullen, and Happy Holidays.

Barbara Walsh Egan
Warwick