User:Waynestateproject/David Horace Clift

David Horace Clift (1907-1972) worked in and for several libraries and contributed greatly to the roles and benefits that librarians utilize today. His greatest contribution to librarianship, literacy, and education was performed when he "served as the chief executive of the American Library Association from 1951-1972."(ALA) He was named in the list of "100 of the MOST IMPORTANT LEADERS WE HAD in the 20TH CENTURY.(Library Leaders)"

Kentuckian
David was born in Washington, Kentucky on June 16th 1907. He was a proud Kentuckian. He was a noted fan of the Kentucky Derby. In the American Libraries journal July-August 1972, a friend of Clift’s Andre Nielson says, “Anybody who has not attended a Clift Derby Party has not lived. The singing of ‘My Old Kentucky Home’ with all standing reverence would bring a tear to strong men’s eyes.”

College
David attended and graduated from the University of Kentucky in 1930. During his college years, he briefly worked at the Lexington Public Library. Post graduation from Kentucky University, he attended “Columbia University school of Library Service. David graduated from Columbia University in 1931.

Libraries
After graduating from Columbia University, David found employment at the New York Public Library in the reference section. During his time at the New York Public Library he worked with future librarians, “Keyes D. Metcalf, L. Quincy Mumford, Robert B. Downs, and Ed Freehafer.” This is also about the time he married a Brooklyn Public Library children’s librarian named Eleanore Flynn. His employment at the New York Public Library lasted from 1931-1937. In 1937, he began working at Columbia University Library. He met Frederick Kilgour at The Columbia University Library.

Serving His Country (Army)
David was drafted into the army in 1942. He started off as an orderly in the hospital. He was moved over to the Office of Strategic Services where he was named Deputy to Executive Director of Interdepartmental Committee for the Acquisition of Foreign Publications. The Executive Director of OSS was Frederick Kilgour. OSS had a profound effect on him as an organizer. “David was exposed, for example to the ambitious project known as Armed Forces Editions, a program that introduced hundreds of thousands of GIs to paperback books…” Lieutenant Clift was honorably discharged from the Army in 1945.

Post Military
In 1945-1946, David went to Germany for the Library of Congress. “He was a member and later acting Chief of the Library of Congress Mission to Germany and spent six months in Germany on the cooperative acquisition project which obtained for American research libraries copies of publications which had appeared in enemy countries during the war.” Next, David took on the role of Associate librarian at Yale. While at Yale, he also “became a fellow of Trumbull College and developed for the library a position classification and pay plan that was an admired model of academic librarians.” He held several titles, most notably in the end as president, in the Connecticut Library Association from 1950-1951. Finally, David Horace Clift took on the role of chief executive of the American Library Association from 1951-1972.

Serving His Country, Again (ALA)
In 1951, when David took over executive duties for ALA, “membership was 19,701 and the general funds budget was 191,129.” “David urged an end to the rented and borrowed space for the headquarters operation, which led to the acquisition of the old McCormick mansion on Chicago’s once-fashionable Huron Street.” He oversaw the promotion and advancement of library growth and literacy growth in America and the world. He also supported the Intellectual Freedom advancements. When David retired in 1972, “membership stood at 30,592 and the general funds budget was 2,262,971.” David Horace Clift died on October 12th, 1973. “When once asked what he felt was required of an association executive, he replied that it was to administer the policies decided by membership and leave the leadership to those elected by the membership.”