Charles A. Helzer, 68, who helped build collections for the University of Chicago library, died Saturday, Feb. 9, in University of Chicago Hospitals of a staphylococcus infection. Mr. Helzer was raised in a small town in southern Indiana and developed interests in the world abroad, one he fed through world travels and intellectual pursuits as a bibliographer and a poet. He earned a bachelor’s degree in English literature from DePauw University. He served in the Navy from 1954 to 1958, chronicling the experiences he and his shipmates had on the USS Rockbridge with his photographs and writings. After his discharge, Mr. Helzer earned a master’s degree in English literature from the University of Wisconsin. He taught English literature at the University of Nebraska for a short time, then returned to the University of Wisconsin to earn a master’s degree in library science so he could satisfy his seemingly endless quest for knowledge, said his wife, Lela Jeanne. In the early 1960s, he worked as a librarian for the University of Iowa for a few years before he started work on a PhD in library science at the University of Wisconsin. He started with the University of Chicago library as head of acquisitions in 1971. He also served as chief collection development officer, curator for the Monroe modern poetry collection and bibliographer of English literature. “He was very well aware of the importance of the historical collection and his role in maintaining the quality of it,” said Martin Runkle, director of the U. of C. library. Mr. Helzer retired in 1996, then focused on his own poetry writing, publishing some of his work in journals. He and his wife, who lived in Hyde Park, also made yearly trips abroad. Besides his wife, survivors include two sons, Philip and Charles C.; his mother, Viola Helzer; and two grandchildren. A memorial service is being planned for the spring.
