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Monday, June 27, 2022

Helene Whitaker RIP

Helene Whitaker, a Northampton Community College pioneer, passed away last Wednesday. You can read her impressive obit here. She spent 31 years in government relations, mostly at Northampton.  She was the driving force for expanding its campus to Monroe County and Bethlehem's south side. 

She was an ardent ally of former Executive John Stoffa. She teamed up with him on several issues, including the open space referendum (that I opposed).  

In addition to her role in education, Helene was active in Democratic politics. She regularly took me to task on this blog when I strayed too far right. I liked the interchanges I had with her because she was fact-oriented and would admit when she had them wrong. She made sure I did so as well.  

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7 comments:

  1. the HuntressJune 27, 2022 at 9:02 AM

    Helene was a class act. Her life was dedicated to NCC and helping people find opportunities to better their lives and reach their goals. She will be sorely missed by this community that she gave so much to.

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  2. AnonymousJune 27, 2022 at 12:24 PM

    she was a good egg

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  3. Bernie O'HareJune 27, 2022 at 12:43 PM

    Yes, and will be missed here.

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  4. AnonymousJune 27, 2022 at 1:14 PM

    is she related to the same Whitaker that they named the Lehigh labs after?

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  5. AnonymousJune 27, 2022 at 8:19 PM

    HER BROTHER LOU FROM THE TIGERS ?.

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  6. AnonymousJune 28, 2022 at 3:45 AM

    May Perpetual Light shine upon her wonderful soul...I cherish her memories from campaigns to dancing to your delightful humor and radiant smile.

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  7. AnonymousJune 28, 2022 at 6:01 PM

    I knew Helene all her life and worked with her for ten years at NCC. She was everything you described and, in addition, had a wicked sense of humor and frequently left all of us laughing at her sidebar commentaries at our foibles and follies. Helene was a wonderful colleague and a good soul. She did a lot of good things for a lot of people. God bless her.

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