George W Shirley

George Shirley moved to Dumfries in 1903 to become the first Librarian of the Ewart Library.   He was elected a member of Dumfries and Galloway Natural History and Antiquarian Society the following year, and two years later he gave his first paper on The Old Public Libraries in Dumfries. George brought youthful enthusiasm and huge energy to the society, becoming Acting Librarian, then Honorary Librarian, producing the first index to theTransactions. In 1910 George became Honorary Secretary and Editor, and Hugh Gladstone of Capenoch became President, and within a couple of years the format of the Transactions was modernised, the of the articles was becoming widely recognised and membership of the Society had more than doubled. R C Reid described him as Possessed of a catholicity of taste, the outstanding features of his personality were courage, integrity of mind, clear reasoning powers, and a fine humanity.