Ellen Wall, 82, passed away on March 11, 2022. She was born to Agnes and Ernest Hegman in Galveston, Texas, grew up in Lake Jackson, Texas, graduated from Texas Christian University and received a Master’s degree from George Washington University. With her husband, David Wall, and one-year-old daughter, Elender, she moved to San Francisco in 1970. She remained there 47 years until the death of her beloved daughter, followed by a diagnosis of Parkinson’s Disease, caused her to leave her many friends and colleagues and move to Birmingham to be with her sister, brother-in-law and niece, Joyce, Jim, and Carey Cauthen.
For 34 years at the City College of San Francisco she taught composition, reading, and literature to thousands of students. She loved that she could walk from her home to the college every day. She was interested in the well-being of her students and supported them with her time and funds. She was devoted to the college itself, serving on countless CCSF committees, and participating in city groups supporting LGBTQ and social justice issues.
In Birmingham she especially loved the Alabama Symphony Orchestra, Opera Birmingham, Martin Juarez’s Boxing for Parkinson’s, the Encore program at Canterbury Methodist Church, and the Birmingham Friends of Old-Time Music and Dance. She met many kind people through these organizations. She also made new friends at Greenbriar at the Altamont where she spent her last nine months and received gentle care.
Because she has friends dispersed across the country and in Europe, her life will be celebrated in an on-line service.