Gail Lang (left) gives an interview on
her front porch.
Our thoughts -
From The Open Book www.openbookltd.com
The Open Book, Ltd. was notified this
morning that Gail Lang died last evening, Sunday,
November 2, 2003. Gail Lange was a former
employee of The Open Book, Ltd., founder of Lavender
Library, Archives & Cultural Exchange of Sacramento,
Inc., and an activist and leader in the GLBT
community of Sacramento.
Since being diagnosed with terminal cancer a month
ago, Gail had a steady stream of visitors, coming
from all over the country, to pay their respects.
Gail's outreaching personality, her never failing
enthusiasm for lesbian literature, her promotion and
lobbying for human rights, and her personal drive to
open a library in Sacramento for recording and
archiving the history of the GLBT community in
Sacramento, gained her the respect and admiration
few people have achieved. Gail will
leave a huge vacuum in our community and will be
sorely missed. We expect that, Gail being
Gail, she already in the process of reorganizing the
afterlife so that it will fit within her own unique
style.
From Kevin Cohee
www.doanevent.com
On a sad note, Gail Lang of Lavender
Library lost her battle with stomach cancer last
night. Gail died in her home Sunday evening at
6:00 PM. Please let everyone you know of our
loss. Gail was one of the most positive
aspects in our community, and I will miss her very
much.
From SVL
www.svlclub.org
Dear SVL Members and Friends,
With sadness, we pass on to you the news of the
death of Gayle Lang, who in addition to being a
tireless supporter of the Lavender Library, Archives
and Cultural Exchange, was also very supportive of
the work that SVL does in the community.
We wish to express our condolences to the family and
friends of Gayle.
From Gail Lang
October 28, 2003
Over the last 5-7 years this e-mail list has
grown and expanded. At first, it was a weekly report
on book reviews, topics of discussion and some of my
favorite quotes or tidbits of Queer history.
Addresses from around the country and even in such
far away countries as Argentina and England have
been added as the years passed to produce an
announcement list for the Lavender Library Archives
and Cultural Exchange of Sacramento, Inc. Some of
you were there in the beginning when a small group
of people came together to explore an idea, a
mission and a passion. Now here we are in 2003.
Looking back at the accomplishments makes my head
spin. *smile.
Some of you have been able to follow the changing
format of these LLACE postings with changes in my
personal life, therefore format change and life
change once again come together. Now it is
time to change once more. LLACE blind-copy
mailing list/announcement posts will be managed over
the following few months by Lira Goff and others who
volunteer at LLACE. If you wish to be
removed from this list, please reply to info@lavenderexpress.com.
Please bear with us through the transition, your
ideas energy, efforts would be greatly appreciated.
After going into the emergency room on October 8th,
2003 with symptoms of acid reflux, I was diagnosed
with metastatic stomach cancer. Adventures
this October have been heart warming,
soul-searching, and spent reviewing priorities.
I have been so very fortunate over these years to meet
so many of you and to have shared your own personal
thoughts about what has evolved here in Sacramento.
When we speak of FAMILY, I am reminded of Mispucha
--the Hebrew word for family. Mispucha refers
not
only to the nuclear family unit, but
also to a social unit extending past even the most
remote cousins.
I am very grateful for all of you.
BECOME A PRIDE PRESERVER...
HAPPY TRAILS......
Gail...gayel...gaille..GAEL..GALE...
Gayiel...GaL...>
Lavender Library, Archives & Cultural Exchange
1414 “21st” Street * Sacramento, CA 95814
www.LavenderLibrary.org *LLACE
* 916 492-0558
Hrs: Thurs. 7pm-9pm, Fri. 6pm-8pm,
Sat. noon-6pm, Sun. noon-6pm
From the Lavender Library
www.lavenderlibrary.org
In Memoriam
With deep sadness, we report the
passing on Sunday, November 2, of one of our
founding members, Gail Lang. One of Sacramento's
most beloved personalities, a wonder and a joy, Gail
was small of body and large of heart.
Gail has requested that donations
instead of flowers be made to the Lavender Library,
P.O. Box 987, Sacramento, CA 95812. Donations will
go to a Memorial Endowment Fund Gail has generously
provided for long-range support of the library.
From the Sacramento Towne Crier
James Ozanich
11/8: In Memoriam...Gail Lang
Dec 1, 1950 -- Nov 2, 2003
This is a sad day for Sacramento...as a community, we
have lost a much loved
and respected matriarch of our LGBTI community.
Gail was the energy and heart of the Lavender
Library and a force working to help pave the way for
a
better, more inclusive world for all of us. Many
will also remember Gail as a
former employee at the Open Book for several years.
Gail's death is a tragic
loss...yet, her legacy will continue on.
From Jason at the SacFACES Yahoo group
www.SacFACES.com
Hi everyone.
I just attended the Gail Lang memorial
and it was a very emotional rollercoaster ride.
There were many wonderful supporters of the GLBTI
community present. Marghe Covino did a fantastic job
as did Gayiel Von. I liked listening to people tell
there stories about this fantastic woman who was a
divine inspiration to so many of us. It was a moving
service that I am glad I had attended. It ended most
notably with a group sing along of Happy Trails.
Michael Johnston head of the SacFACES
Online Community, Vice President of FACES Inc and
President of CGNIE made a emotional speech about Ms
Lang and then presented the Lavender Library with
two checks in the name and memory of Miss Gail Lang.
The first check was for $1500 from Rainbow Festival.
The second check was from the SacFACES Online
Charity FUND for $1000. This was emotional for me
because the funds monies were raised by the efforts
of ALL OF US the online community. Bianca, Mike and
I know that donating this money to the Lavender
Library will ensure the continued success of Gail's
most visible accomplishment and it is a wonderful
resource and treasure for the GLBTI community.
From Michael Johnston at
QueerSac Yahoo group
www.queersac.com
Today was a most difficult day
for me.
Gayle Lange was one special
person. She was my inspiration ... my
hope, my light in this community. I cannot
begin to describe to all of you how much this
individual meant to me as a kindred spirit whose
vision, foresight, and uncompromising -
charitable - selfless - community spirit guided
me in my growth within Sacramento's GLBTI
Community. Gayle was someone who could
move mountains with a single sentence ... "Your
work for this community is so appreciated ... by
the way, why don't you try blah BLAH BLAH ..."
This is someone to whom all of us owe a unique
debt.
To those of you out there who
have the means, my challenge is simple:
Gayle believed (rightly so) that
our HISTORY and our FOUNDATIONS as a community
were important enough to preserve and TEACH to
those who join us. LEGACY is when one
cares enough about their fellow man that we
impart the knowledge and experiences we have
gathered so that life can be made better .. so
that no one is doomed to repeat the mistakes of
the past. As a society, we are responsible
for those who follow in our footsteps. No
one else can do this ... we must do it.
The Lavender Library is one small step in the
long road to preserving WHO WE ARE, and WHAT WE
STAND FOR. Gayle believed this - and I do
as well.
Support the Lavender Library.
Donate today. Do it now.
For those of you who knew Gayle,
this is your moment to show your faith, hope and
appreciation of who she was and what she stood
for. For those of you who may not have
known her, I'M TRULY SORRY THAT YOU MISSED OUT
ON THIS EXTRAORDINARY SPIRIT - yet you can still
absorb the energy this exemplary human being
left behind and make a difference for the future
of mankind.
DO IT NOW. MAKE THE
LAVENDER LIBRARY WORK.
Mike Johnston
Citizen of Planet Earth and a Proud Member of
Sacramento's GLBTI Community
From Mark Lund at
www.Outsacramento.com
We have lost a friend. Gail was a
beautiful person, smart, kind, caring. She
loved our community and gave us so much of herself -
notably the Lavender Library and making things
happen. Gail Lang passed Sunday of cancer.
She will be missed by many and more important
remembered by many. One of my favorite
memories is that she signed her emails "happy
trails." Thanks Gail for the happy trails.
From
"Wil" William Weaver at QueerSac Yahoo
Group www.queersac.com
It has been a week this evening,
dearest Gail...Gayle...GALE...Gayiel...GAEL...gay-el...
I am so grateful our paths crossed. I've been
blessed. I love you. Until we meet
again . . .
add your thoughts
mark@outsacramento.com
Links for Gail
Activist shares joy until the end
SacBee Article Nov 7, 2003
The Lavender
Library, Archives and Cultural Exchange of Sacramento,
Inc.
Activist
shares joy until the end
SacBee Article Nov 7, 2003
Gail Lang and the Gay & Lesbian Pride
exhibit at the Capitol Rotunda June 2003 - the
second year for the GLBTI exhibit thanks to Gail
Lang and the Lavender Library
click here
Special Libraries Association
www.sla.org/chapter/csrn/newsl-oct00/LLACE.htm
Photo on the annbannon.com web site
www.annbannon.com/2002llace.html
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