Keith Johnson's election as a Fellow of the Society was announced at the Annual General Meeting held via Zoom in May 2020.
Even setting aside the impact of Covid, as a resident of Australia it was clear that it would be a while before an opportunity might arise to meet with Keith and present him with his certificate. Recently, we were delighted to hear from Keith that he would, within a few days, be visiting Dublin.
After some hastily made preparations, on Monday, 15th August, Keith met with IGRS Vice-President, Paul Gorry, and Chairman of Council, Steven Smyrl, and he was duly thanked for his considerable contribution to the world of genealogy over the course of five decades, and presented with his Certificate of Fellowship.
Internationally, Keith is is most widely known for publication of the annual Genealogical Research Directory, which was published from 1981 to 2007. The GRD provided an opportunity for family historians to connect with others throughout the world who shared research interests. Before the Internet made such contact possible in different ways, the GRD was unrivalled in genealogy.
The original news item about Keith's Fellowship can be read here.
