It is with great sadness that we share news of the death of our friend and colleague, University Librarian Emeritus William F. Louden.

Bill Louden was a fixture of campus life at the University of Evansville for more than two decades.  He was a native of New Castle, Pennsylvania, and was a loyal alumnus of Mount Union College in Alliance, Ohio, from which he graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1969.  He was awarded the degree Master of Divinity from Duke University in 1973, and the following year he earned the degree Master of Library Science from the University of Pittsburgh.  Prior to coming to the University of Evansville, Bill served as a professional librarian at Heidelberg College in Tiffin, Ohio, at Baylor University in Waco, Texas, and at the University of Cincinnati.  In 1994 he joined the University of Evansville where he served as University Librarian for 21 years.

Bill was a great believer in the value of a liberal-arts based education: he was devoted to the UE Libraries, to the library staff, and to the library’s many friends among the UE community.  He held in special esteem the many students whose lives he touched through his years of teaching in our First Year Seminar program, and before that, the World Cultures sequence.

Bill had only just retired from the University Libraries in May of this year.  He was preceded in death by his parents, Jean R. and William L. Louden of New Castle, Pennsylvania.  In accordance with Bill's wishes, there will be no visitation or funeral service.

Friends wishing to make a gift to the UE Libraries in Bill’s memory should contact Abigail Werling at (812) 488-2272 or by email at am275@evansville.edu.