We were very sad to hear of the death of Iris Fudge, a founding member of the Friends. Iris was born July 25th 1927 and lived all her life in south London.
The first time I saw Iris was at the public meeting in the library on a Saturday in January 1999 attended by 300 people, when Lambeth announced plans to close our library and four others, sell off the buildings and retain five town centre libraries as “centres of excellence”. Iris faced the top table, challenging councillors and officers with hard questioning and cogent arguments. When the officials left, fobbing us all off saying “we’ll make a note of your comments”, several, including Iris, signed a contact sheet and went on to form Friends of Carnegie Library. That March at our first general meeting, Iris was elected onto our first committee.
Over the years, Iris and her husband Sidney remained stalwart members of the Friends and attended events and AGMs as long as their health permitted. Sadly, Sidney died over a year ago, and Iris’s health failed. Even when bedridden, she took a keen interest in the library. When members looked in on her or stopped by to deliver newsletters, she asked what was happening and what she could do to help.
Other organisations Iris supported included Amnesty International and various health, research and women’s issue groups. Iris passed away in her home in Dorchester Drive on January 1st 2019, aged 91. She will be greatly missed.
Jeff Doorn