Dates

• Existence: 1939-11-20    

Biography

Christel Ludewig McCanless was born in Germany in 1939. Christel’s father, Hermann Ludewig, was one of the V-2 scientists at Peenemuende. Consequently, McCanless grew up in Peenemunde until an air raid in 1943 destroyed their home. McCanless and her family moved to Trebbin, Germany which after WWII became part of Russian East Germany.

Ludewig accepted a job to work with Von Braun in Huntsville, Alabama and decided to flee East Germany with his family in 1953. McCanless contined school in the United States. She graduated with a Bachelors of Arts in English from the University of Montevallo and then graduated with a Masters in Library Science from the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill. Christel McCanless served as the first full-time, professional librarian at UAH. After serving as the Library Director at UAH, McCanless worked on the Huntsville Times’ newspaper library, the Huntsville Museum of Art’s Art Reference Library, and the Huntsville Museum of Art’s Education Resource Center. In addition, McCanless consulted for the Alabama Library Exchange and created workshops on technology and library science. McCanless is the author of Faberge and His Works: An Annotated Bibliography of the First Century of His Art and a co-author of Faberge Eggs: A Retrospective.She also edits a Fabrege newsletter.

Found in 6 Collections and/or Records: