In Memoriam

DR. SELDON VAUGHN WHITAKER, JR.  (June 12, 1940 - April 11, 2020)

Dr. Whitaker served on the NEED Board. He mentored many scholars to achieve their goals of going to college and thriving in their chosen professions. His guidance, unwavering support, humility and passion will long be remembered. The Board and staff at NEED, dedicate this page to the memory of a great man and our dear friend, Dr. Seldon Whitaker
OBITUARY :

Age 79, of Longwood at Oakmont, Verona, PA. Born June 12, 1940 in Bryn Mawr, PA to Vivian Altemus Whitaker and Seldon Vaughn Whitaker, Sr. Big brother to Sharon Whitaker Friedman [Mark]. Devoted husband of 50 years to his high school sweetheart, the late Susan Gurry Whitaker. Involved and encouraging father to Kathryn Whitaker Hicks [Ron] and the late Laura Richardson Whitaker. Lighthearted uncle to Alison Waldo O'Grady [Patrick] and Kimberly Anne Fourman [Brian]. Indulgent and very proud "Papa" to Susan Margaret Hicks; delighted honorary "Gampoose" to Oliver Sherman Shumsky. In his years at Conestoga High School (Berwyn, PA), Sel distinguished himself on the football field as offensive-defensive tackle. Though his unusual size and talent earned him full scholarships to top college programs, Sel opted to attend Williams College (Williamstown, MA), testament that his abilities were not solely athletic. After graduation, he earned his master's in education at the University of Pennsylvania (Philadelphia, PA) and set up his high school history classroom in the Great Valley School District (Malvern, PA). In spite of helping to organize one of the first teachers' unions, Sel found he could not support his family on a teacher's salary. He accepted an administrative position in the Concord-Carlisle School District (Concord, MA) and began working on his doctorate at Northeastern University (Boston, MA). 

Later, he assumed the superintendency of that district before accepting the invitation to lead the Duxbury School District (Duxbury, MA). His final superintendency was of the State College Area School District (State College, PA). When Sel reflected on this chapter of his life, he was proudest of involving teachers in decision-making, of elevating women to positions of leadership, and of the regular time he spent in the schools with students, visiting classrooms and serving lunch in the cafeteria. The next phase of Sel's professional life involved working with school districts and school boards to implement school improvement policies in Pennsylvania and across the United States. At Penn State (University Park, PA), he co-founded the Center for Total Quality Schools and was adjunct professor in the Department of Education Policy Studies in the College of Education. Highlights of this time period included teaching a course on the superintendency to future school leaders and the warm relationships that developed while hosting delegations of educators from Brazil. When their granddaughter was born, Sel and Sue moved to Pittsburgh, where they took up their role as grandparents with great joy. Sel loved classical music, learning about his ancestors, and traveling. An elder at East Liberty Presbyterian Church (Pittsburgh, PA), he drew upon his formidable fiscal management skills while serving on the finance committee. His charitable work revolved around social/educational justice and supporting other parents who had lost a child. Until the last few years of his life, Sel actively maintained and cherished deep relationships, many of which were lifelong. As his Alzheimer's progressed, he became less and less able to connect with those he cared about, something that is almost impossible for those of us who knew him in his fullness to imagine.

 Donations in Sel's memory to the "Seldon and Susan Whitaker Fund" at The Pittsburgh Foundation are gratefully accepted at https://tinyurl.com/WhitakerFund 

For information about Sel's online memorial service (April 25, 2020) , please go to https://tinyurl.com/SelMemorial