Gladys Hansen, American librarian, Died at 91

Gladys Cox Hansen was born on June 12, 1925 and died on March 5, 2017.

She was an American librarian, archivist, and author.

Hansen was an expert on the history of San Francisco and the 1906 San Francisco earthquake.

She started working part-time at the Presidio branch of the San Francisco Public Library at seventeen years old.

Since that, she moved to the main branch, and by 1963 she was in charge of the California collection of the library.

During 1972, Gladys was named city archivist by Mayor Joseph Alioto.

During 1963, Hansen started to research the identities of those killed in 1906 earthquake.

She also co-authored the book Denial of Disaster, claiming that the number of casualties from the earthquake was dramatically and deliberately understated.

Recorded is the official death toll stated in 1907 was 478, but she estimated that over 3000 were killed.

She married William Hansen, who was an Air Corps pilot in World War II.

Together they had a son, Richard.

Gladys Hansen passed away at 91 years old.