Dear Ellen, Dear Circle Around Ellen's kind and beautiful spirit, What a gift!
Your memory continues to be: a living blessing in my every day life. Its a mystery that a person can grow closer as we keep going around the sun - though without your hugs still I feel you nearby when demonstrating at City Hall, when playing music and browsing the aisles at Bird & Beckett. And I keep meeting friends of yours, your students and people whose lives you quickened.
In profound gratitude, Kasey Rios

Ellen dear, I think of you often and miss you mightily. I picture
us having lunch at Bursa's--your favorite lentil soup, of course.
I picture us picketing at Civic Center on behalf of CCSF. Actually,
you will always be in my thoughts as colleague and dear friend
forever.
Betty Dvorson

In Jewish culture, we call the one year anniversary of someone's death their Yahrtzeit. Traditionally, family and friends gather at the gravesite to dedicate the stone. I am grateful for this other kind of site to remember Ellen whom I cared for very much as a colleague and a friend. Every time I pass by Edna Street, I remember Ellen's enduring love for her talented and beautiful Elender. The other day I came upon Elender's "The Poetry of Donald Rumsfeld." I also think of Ellen's passion for City College and the students there. I would like to tell her that we at last have hope for saving our beloved school, to which she dedicated so much of her life. We have elected a sympathetic group to the Board of Trustees. Ellen would be pleased.

From Danell Zeavin
I'm enjoying the slide show in the upper corner, photos of you and Elender smiling.
That is how I prefer to remember you. Our lunches together with Pat and Enid were times of much laughter. I hear your voice; your sense of fun and your insight
are with me.

On the first anniversary of your death we are remembering you, missing you and are still so sorry that Parkinson's Disease made the last years of your life so miserable. But you always enjoyed eating out, so our memorial to you today is dinner at Chez Lulu, your favorite. Everyone still remembers you and loves you.

Pat, Enid, and I have begun to lunch together again. Ellen was our fourth.
We miss her dearly...her wisdom and generosity...her treasured friendship.

Thinking of you, Ellen.

I'm making a birthday cake for you today and taking it to a music party where we will sing you our famous birthday song. You've not been forgotten, sister.

Happy Birthday, Ellen! Some friends and I will have a pumpkin carving today. We will raise a glass to your memory and I will reminisce about the Halloweens at CCSF that you made special. Miss you.

Dear Ellen!!! I know that when Elender died your heart broke and you never recovered. Now you are at peace and if there is a heaven, which I don’t believe you believed in, but IF there were one you and Elender are listening to Wagner and eating vegan cake! You were always so sweet to my son- such a great auntie!
And although you and my sister
Bergen tangled, A LOT, you were a supportive mother in law. I’m glad Elender had time in Germany. I just can’t believe you are all gone! Elender, Bergen and now you. I have all your photos on my book shelf and I think of you often. You will never be forgotten ❤️

Ellen was my office mate for four years, and she made our gaudy orange office space a warm and welcome place. Each week she would come into the office energized by operas, plays, and movies she had seen over the weekend. She loved to share stories of her daughter's adventures in Germany and was equally fond of hearing the latest news about my children. She was kind and upbeat--and tough. One day with my children at a playground she tripped on the rubber surface and landed hard on her back; she got up, brushed herself off and went back to her smiling, talkative self. That strength carried her through the several attacks on the college that occurred over the years; she only became more resolved to fight for the well being of the college and its ability to serve all students and the entire SF community.

I will always carry fond memories of Ellen in my heart.

I had the pleasure and honor of being Ellen's colleague in the English Department at City College of San Francisco. When I first started teaching at CCSF, she was assigned to evaluate my class and I'll never forget how welcoming and supportive she was. I immediately felt like a member of the community. I'll always remember Ellen's kind smile, her sparkling eyes, and her hospitality, which gave me a sense of belonging when I first joined the department. She was a truly dedicated teacher and believed in, and fought for, public education and community. 

Whenever I think of Ellen - Tess, to her family - which is often, because she is constantly encouraging, cheering me on, expecting me to be brave, take chances for worthwhile things, as ever, I hear her laugh, her wry jokes, her irreverent questions and impatience with bureaucracy that hurts people. Lots of lovely moments over coffee, at her beloved Bird & Beckett Books, all the holiday parties and especially graduations, but also there for the hard stuff and I know she always will be. I am so grateful for Ellen.

I join the community in mourning the death of our beloved friend Ellen Wall.

I met Ellen not long after I joined the CCSF Music Department in the late 1990s. Possessing great intelligence, generosity, a sense of humor and an unerring artistic sensibility, she became a good friend to me and my wife Lisa.
Ellen and I were on the same page with regard to ongoing issues at the college. We shared wonderful evenings at her house, sometimes for special occasions, sometimes just to hang out.

I cherish the opportunity I had to compose music for her wonderful daughter Elender to sing. Ellen was Elender's "angel." Elender was brilliant academically and had a glorious soprano voice. Now they are both gone. I miss them very much, but I'm grateful to have walked a few steps along life's journey with them.

Ellen was my dear freind since we both taught in SFUSD in the 1970s.She was a militant unionist who was willing to fight for herself, her family, her colleagues and fellow-workers and her college and its true and proper mission. I grieve also that she never got the long and healthy retirement that she deserved. She earned one.

Ellen was my colleague at City College of SF for many years. She opened her home and her heart to me and many others. As a part-timer trying for full time, she helped me enormously to move into that position. I'll always remember her warm smile, her home, great sense of humor and love for her students and her beloved daughter.

From Brett Stutz:

I met Ellen at contra dancing. It was a delight to be her dance partner many times over the years. As our friendship deepened we did many other fun things together. I was often a guest in her home, which was always so welcoming and frequently full of her fascinating and loving friends.
She brought joy and richness to my life as no one else ever could.

Ellen an angel, educator and friend

When everyone lost hope with my daughter and her learning difficulties. She saw the potential and guided me, thus saving years of low-esteem and instead she blossomed into a curious young child. The gratitude I feel for Ellen holds no boundaries.
We shared our deep love for both our daughters. Her compassion held no bounds. I can’t say enough about Ellen

Ellen was the nicest, most compassionate person. I had wonderful times going next store to tend the garden, sing in a soiree with her dear, talented daughter or just have dinner. There are so many memories of dinners, operas, parties. I am grateful that our lives overlapped and I am grateful for her family who took care of Ellen in her final years. 

I will cherish our friendship forever. We met when I began my teaching career.
She created the best reading lab anywhere for students who struggled with reading. One of her legacies is that hundreds of students learned to read under her guidance. We met with two other teacher colleagues for lunch once a month. She always brought something delicious to share, and shared with us her wisdom about just everything. She was extraordinary.

Ellen was a warm and generous colleague in our community college, committed to the college and its mission. I felt she was bringing Birmingham to San Francisco when she hosted autumn teas for English department faculty and welcomed us to her home for end-of-semester soirees.

My office was next to hers for several years and she served on my tenure committee; she was so supportive I remember sitting with her at her desk during that process, as she ushered me into my role in the department and the college with conversations I didn't expect. She'd seen our college through so many years and so many administrative changes, and she had a wry sense of humor about the whole enterprise, as she insisted on justice and transparency. When her daughter Elender died, she grieved deeply and fully. I learned from Ellen Wall.

Ellen was one of my dearest friends, on and off campus. We loved going to
movies, lunching (her favorite lentil soup) at West Portal, agonizing over
having to give poor grades sometimes, picketing to protest CCSF's threatened accreditation or socializing at English Department's holiday parties.
Her musical soirees were legendary as she welcomed everyone into her
home. My heart truly sank when I received news of her passing.

I haven’t seen Ellen for many years but someone I will not forget. She was my English department colleague at CCSF. I loved seeing her and chatting with her at school because she was always so full of energy and warmth and joy. I loved it when she invited me to hear a concert at school of the wonderful lively music of her sisters group.
   My condolences to her family. She was a treasure.

Ellen's generous spirit was everywhere alive in her devotion to her City College students and to her City College colleagues. She supported all of our programs, including Project SURVIVE--the sexual violence prevention program. But what really lit up her face and broad, gorgeous smile was being in the presence of her beloved and talented Elender, or telling stories about Elender, or inviting us to listen to Elender's brilliant collaboration with Bryant Kong: "The Poetry of Donald Rumsfeld and Other Fresh American Art Songs." I so admire how Ellen made her way through the tremendous grief of losing Elender and how she, yes, kept fighting the bad guys. I promise to punch a little bit harder and smile a lot broader in her memory.

Ellen was my assigned mentor when I was first hired to a tenure track position at City College. She was warm, generous, and encouraging, and modeled the importance of being involved in the whole College community, far beyond the classroom. I am sure all who worked with her received the same giving spirit.

Goodbye, Ellen. I miss you.

From Monica Collins:

What an amazing woman. They threw away the mold. Ellen kept a beautiful house right near campus with a lovely piano- “for the soirees”, she’d explain in her Texas twang.
Fierce and unrelenting in support of justice and of her beloved school. I like to think she continues on, in some way.

Ellen was a dear friend and Colleague. She was so much more that an English teacher. She was active in many areas of the college and the City of San Francisco including the Sunnyside Neighborhood. She has been and will be missed. It was a privilege to know her.

Ellen was a wonderful colleague. Everyone had great respect for her and her work. I remember her being a vivacious and social person. She really loved the interactions with colleagues and students. I also remember the way she handled the passing of her beloved daughter. The love and sadness that she held with such grace. RIP Ellen

It was an honor and a privilege to work with Ellen at CCSF. She cared so deeply about students and the college. Sending my deepest condolences to her family and family of friends.

Ellen was devoted to the college and to the English Dept. Ellen led the fight to save the reservoir land for CCSF. It took three elections but we finally prevailed over the forces at City Hall. When Art Agnos was elected Mayor, he called us to his office (no college administrators were invited) and threatened that he would steamroll over us. It was Proposition L and our battle cry was L NO! When we won, the city gave up. Whenever the College was the issue Ellen could always be counted on to support her beloved City College.

Tess, You are one special lady. I always looked forward to seeing you at boxing class. I would hold my gloves up so you could punch them and you would cut loose. I will certainly miss you and that beautiful smile but the memories will last forever.

Very sorry to hear about Ellen. When we first became colleagues at CCSF in '95, she was very welcoming, personally and professionally. She cared a great deal about the college and the community.

I'll always remember that it was Ellen Wall who organized one of the best workshops I'd ever attended, and I was immediately impressed by her energy and smarts! I grieved the death of her beautiful daughter Elender and got to meet her loving sister Joyce and brother-in-law when they played music in SF and before they left, providing a new home for Ellen after her 47 years in SF! 
Chancellor Day has already commented on her spirit of community as in Community College of SF, so I want to note that it was Ellen who, remembering that I'd lived in Tonga as a Peace Corps Volunteer, introduced me to her incredible caregiver Sia Akauola, who had been seen in action by Betty Dvorson, another friend and faculty member. As Sia or any Tongan will demonstrate, it takes a village, and Ellen was a great part of our village at CCSF!  

What a remarkable Lady. Such a warm, genuine inviting smile. I loved our times together at the Parkinson's Fight Club. We will miss you Tess. Love to all,
Don Siegelman

I have not seen Ellen in many years, but I remember her being truly committed to CCSF and to her students. Short in stature, she always had a quiet and soft voice (although she could be assertive when trying to convey her message).

She will be missed. My warmest condolences to her family during this time of bereavement. Truly, one of Heaven's Angels has returned home.

Had the pleasure of boxing with Tess. I remember her smile and always bringing a great attitude. We both had the joy of working with students for many years. I know she made a difference in lives, I miss her and will honor her memory each time my gloves come out of my bag to fight Parkinsons. I learned a tradition at our boxing gym that when a boxer dies they ring the bell 10 times. The bell is ringing for Tess!

From Philip Day, former Chancellor, City College of San Francisco:
Ellen was a "Star" that shined ever so brightly among the constellation of stars that represent the very best of our faculty at CITY. She was a formidable advocate for the college's mission and ALWAYS challenged the administration to stay true to that objective. I recall many, many meetings with her in which we discussed strategy, outcomes and the plusses and minuses of each. She could exhaust you as you tried to carve out, consensually, the right course or next steps. She helped me be a better Chancellor as we tried to do what was best for our students, faculty, and community. Much beloved....
She will be missed!

Aunt Tess was a pretty amazing woman who made a real difference in the lives of so many people, students and friends and family. She raised a wonderful daughter who was taken away from us much too soon.

I'll also remember her for her enjoyment and encouragement of my geeky interests. She gave me a Dungeons and Dragons box set when I was in third grade, a hand-knitted Doctor Who scarf for a birthday, and liked to share her thoughts on Star Trek as well as sci-fi and fantasy novels. She was a fun woman who liked showing us around San Francisco, who shrugged at earthquakes, and loved music.

I'll miss her.

This news is both heartbreaking and relieving. I will be grateful for Ellen's release from her mortal limitations and rejoice in imagining her reunion with Elender. Ellen was my role model at the College and my moral compass. She was as close as I will ever have to a second mother. My world is now a dimmer place but, oh, how much brighter it is for Ellen's having been part of it.