In charge of the San Francisco Public Library’s California Collection, Mrs. Hansen was appointed City Archivist by Mayor Joseph Alioto in 1972 and retired from city service in 1990. She worked tirelessly for 30 years as a researcher and detective to rewrite the long-accepted story of the 1906 Earthquake. Through her efforts we have come to dramatically revise both the number of deceased and the political and economic history of the period.
Gladys Hansen passed on May 11, 2017. She was cremated at Cypress Lawn, and her remains scattered.
A new stone memorial with her birth and death dates featuring an inscribed tribute to her remarkable life and work will be consecrated adjacent to the 1906 Earthquake Memorial she personally dedicated in 2006 in honor of those disaster victims originally recognized and the thousands more who were not.
The public is cordially invited to the dedication of the new Gladys Hansen Memorial at Laurel Hill Mound on the West Campus of Cypress Lawn.
After the official public dedication is completed, guests are encouraged to remain at the site to offer personal tributes and recollections of Gladys Hansen.
