DORIS MARION SEALE

1936 - 2017

SEALE, Doris Marion Librarian and Activist Burlington, VT — Doris Marion Seale, 80, died peacefully on Friday, February 17, 2017 at Birchwood Terrace Nursing and Rehabilitation Center in Burlington Vermont. She is predeceased by her husband Thomas Seale, father Charles Eugene Cota, mother Glenna Prince Cota and sister Virginia (Giny) McCasland. She leaves behind her sister Blanche Coty, a niece, several nephews and many close friends. Born in 1936 in Brattleboro, VT, Doris attended Simmons College in Boston Massachusetts graduating with a degree in Library Science. She worked in the Children's Department of the Brookline Public Library in Brookline Massachusetts for 45 years. She joined the library staff in 1958 and was appointed Supervisor of Children's Services in 1969, a position she held until her retirement in 2003. Doris co-founded Oyate, an organization working to see that the lives and histories of Native Americans are portrayed with honesty and integrity, ensuring that it is widely known that the stories of Native Americans belong to them. The reference books she co-authored, A Broken Flute, and Through Indian Eyes, have been used by librarians and teachers across North America. Doris has written two books of poetry Blood Salt, and Ghost Dance, and has contributed works of poetry to several anthologies including the book, The Multicolored Mirror: Cultural Substance in Literature for Children and Young Adults. In 2001 she received the American Library Association's Equality Award, which recognized her tireless championship of equality throughout her extensive and distinguished professional career. This award acknowledged her leadership efforts toward overcoming Native American stereotypes and for giving Native Americans a visible presence in the library and beyond. Her tireless efforts as a cultural educator and activist have facilitated positive changes in the way Native Americans are viewed by others and in the way they are represented in literature. Memorial Service at a later date.

View the online memorial for Doris Marion SEALE