Title: Director of Research and Development Administration (Retired)
Company: Bristol-Myers Products
Location: Chatham, New Jersey, United States
Efren W. Gonzalez, former director of research and development administration for Bristol-Myers Products, has been recognized by Marquis Who’s Who Top Executives for dedication, achievements, and leadership in library science.
Working in the Iona College library while pursuing his bachelor’s degree, Mr. Gonzalez discovered that he enjoyed it so much that he wanted to pursue the field. Upon completing a Bachelor of Arts in philosophy and biology at Iona College in 1951, he then earned a Master of Science in library science at Columbia University in 1952. Upon graduation, he decided to join the Special Libraries Association whose members work at government, research and other private institutions.
Mr. Gonzalez worked in special libraries for almost 40 years before retiring in 1990 as director of research and development administration for Bristol-Myers Products. Employed with the organization for 23 years, he also served as manager of research quality compliance, manager of science information services and manager of technology communications. Mr. Gonzalez’s previous years included appointments with Grove Laboratories in St. Louis, Nepera Chemical Company in Yonkers, NY, the Materials Laboratory at New York Naval Shipyard in Brooklyn NY, Military Sea Transportation Service, Atlantic Area in Brooklyn, NY and the Carroll Club in Manhattan NY.
During his career, Mr. Gonzalez taught as adjunct professor at Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey, in the Graduate School of Library Service. He also served on the Council on Library Education for the New Jersey Department of Education and as an advisory committee member on library photocopying and Copyright revision to the U.S. Copyright Office. Mr. Gonzalez was primarily active in the Special Libraries Association (SLA) starting in 1952 with the New York Chapter, then the St. Louis Chapter, and then the New Jersey Chapter. He was elected to the SLA Executive Board in 1969 and succeeded to the Presidency for the 1971-1972 term. He was inducted into the SLA Hall of Fame in 1991.
Other organizations where he contributed over the years are Rutgers, the State University as adjunct professor in the Graduate School of Library Service, the Pharmaceutical Manufacturers Association, the Council of National Library Associations. Mr. Gonzalez is married to Rita Ciliotta. They have five children, seven grandchildren and three great-grandchildren. In his free time, he loves playing jazz piano and drums, which evolved after early years of serious classical piano instruction and is now often found as a soloist or leader of a trio or quartet romping through the Great American Songbook.
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