David Guralnik

[Frank Abate]

ADS members (and others),

I just heard the very sad news that David Guralnik passed away on Friday, May 19.  There is an obit in today's NY Times, and also on the AP wire.

I did not know David well, but had come to greatly respect his work before I even started in lexicography.  I believe that he was one of the best definers of his time -- crystal-clear, concise, accurate, and sensitive to the nuances of the language.  Webster's New World Dictionaries are as solid as they are largely thanks to the foundation laid by David and his staff from the early 1950s through the 1970s.

As all who had the pleasure to meet him know, David was also a warm, generous, and kind human being, who was good to be around.  We will miss him greatly, as will the world of lexicography.

Frank Abate