Helen Berwald died on November 10th at the age of 92. Helen began at Carleton in 1952 as an instructor in Physical Education for Women, added the teaching of Psychology and Education, and then taught Education from 1960 to her retirement as Professor Emerita in 1987. She also wove geography classes into her teaching portfolio.
But a list of Helen’s titles hardly does justice to her innovative career. Helen served as the first director of the Associated College of the Midwest’s Urban Education Program in Chicago and founded ACM’s exchange program in Liberia. Helen launched the “Videotape Project” which filmed elementary and secondary teachers in the classroom so that both beginning and experienced teachers could study the tapes to improve their techniques. The program was funded through NSF grants and made use of cutting edge television technologies operated from a Chevy camper — the first time such a mobile unit was housed in a single vehicle. She also traveled widely, studying educational techniques, teacher education, and “human geography,” including in the Soviet Union, China, Thailand, Nepal, Tibet, Guatemala, Tanzania, and Nigeria, in addition to Liberia.
After retirement, Helen stayed active in the League of Women Voters as a city government observer, created high school study guides for radio projects, and learned more about construction by designing her own front porch and laying the plumbing in her lake cabin. Helen and her longtime friend, “Dean Jean” Phillips, later moved to Green Valley, Arizona.
A more complete obituary will be forthcoming, including information about memorial service plans.
Please keep Helen’s family and friends in your thoughts and prayers.
Comments
As a Carleton Physics major interested in secondary teaching, I enrolled in Dr. Berwald’s Foundations of Education course – the beginning of a four year learning and working relationship with her and her groundbreaking innovations in teacher education. After graduation in 1965, Dr. Berwald hired me for two years to assist in development and operation of the first ever educational television video tape mobile unit which was used (1) to tape and critique Carleton (and other ACM) student teachers, (2) to tape innovative curriculum as taught by exemplary teachers in their actual classroom settings, then using the tapes (2a) in Carleton (and other ACM) pre-service education courses, and (2b) for teacher self-critique, and (3) to tape and critique student teachers from Carleton and ACM colleges participating in Dr. Berwald’s Urban Semester Program in Chicago suburban and inner city schools. A personally impactful highlight was my taping of Linda Nelson ’66, which later led to our marriage, and daughters Sarah Forster ’91 and Laura Lilienthal Blaisdell ’94. The experience with Dr. Berwald, provided a uniquely valuable beginning for my 36 year career as a teacher, high school principal and district administrator. Dr. Berwald was nationally and internationally recognized as an innovative leader in teacher education and held my highest respect as a person and educator.
I taught with Helen from 1967 until she retired. My chief memory is that she was the first colleague that I invited for a glass of sherry in my office. I valued her conversation that much. Helen was a wise woman. Jerry