The IMesh Toolkit

Susan Calcari 1956-2001

The Internet Scout Project is sad to report that after a gallant battle with breast cancer, the founder and Executive Director, Susan Calcari, passed away on July 8, 2001. The project and the community at large deeply mourn her passing --- we will miss her vision, her sense of humour, and her leadership.

Rachel Heery, on behalf of the IMesh Toolkit Project, writes:
On behalf of my colleagues and myself, I should like to express our sadness at hearing that Susan has passed away. Working on the IMesh Toolkit project with Susan over the last two years we were able to appreciate Susan's lively enthusiasm for Internet Scout and digital library research. We first met up with Susan at the DLI meeting in Cornell and spent time there planning and discussing the way ahead. Contact continued through video-conferencing and many early morning phone calls for Susan. We were aware that Susan was struggling bravely to keep working despite her illness, we admired her determination and commitment. Also we remember how much her wit and humour were evident in all that she did. Please express our sympathy to her friends and family, remembrance of Susan does indeed come from all around the world.

Susan Calcari, 1956 -- 2001
Susan Calcari was born on June 25th, 1956 in Iron Mountain, Michigan -- the daughter of Robert and Carol (Oien) Calcari. She graduated near the top of Iron Mountain High School's class of 1974 and went on to graduate with honors from Michigan Technological University in 1978. Shortly after graduating, she moved to San Francisco, where she began her career.

Susan was the founder and Executive Director of the University of Wisconsin-Madison's Internet Scout Project, which publishes the Scout Report and does research related to online resource discovery. The Scout Report is one of the Internet's longest-running and most respected publications.

Highlights of her professional career include being interviewed on Good Morning America, being the subject of a New York Times article, and being quoted by many national publications, including the Wall Street Journal and USA Today. She was also co-author of a successful book about the Internet.

Susie loved attending live blues, jazz, and rock concerts, was an ardent fan of the Green Bay Packers, and was an avid movie buff. She cherished her warm relationships with her extended family, work colleagues, and her many close friends, some living close to her, some across the country, and some around the world.

Susan's family has set up at scholarship fund to honor her memory -- donations can be made to "Iron Mountain High School - Susan Calcari Scholarship Trust," Iron Mountain High School, 300 West "B" St, Iron Mountain, MI 49801.

The Scout Project is also collecting remembrances from colleagues, friends, and family and would love to get stories or recollections you have from your time spent (in person or virtually) with Susie. Please let us know whether you'd be comfortable with us publishing your recollections on this page. You can send these emails to her brother Greg Calcari (gcalcari@athenet.net) or to Rachael Bower (bower@cs.wisc.edu).

Susan was a wonderful person who touched so many lives -- the Scout Project will miss her visionary leadership, her rich sense of humor and her amazing generosity of spirit. (Rachael Bower, Director, Internet Scout Project)