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Helen Irene Lutz Harriger December 14, 1907 - January 12, 2008 "Service to others is the rent you pay for your room here on earth." Helen took this as her personal philosophy. This Shirley Chisholm quote was how Helen lived her 100 years and one month, how she thought about her world and believed in these sentiments to the end. Helen Irene Lutz Harriger was born in Magadore, Ohio on December 14, 1907 to Harvey S. Lutz and Rose Norrish Lutz. Helen began her life as a country girl being schooled in a one room school house. She was motivated by a strong sense of independence and work ethic. She was transplanted to Cleveland when she was eight and began to become "citified." After high school, Helen refused a scholarship to college, instead opting to "earn her own way" through. She graduated from Hiram College with a BA in Sociology in 1929. She was the last living member of her graduating class. She married Harold A. "Hap" Harriger after he agreed he would also finish college. They both were Executive Secretaries for the YMCA in Cleveland. In 1947 they moved to Raton, NM where Hap was the Director of the Chamber of Commerce and Helen found a "part time" job as a teacher. This part-time job became Helen's passion, lasting the next 37 years of her life. They moved briefly to Moberly, MO, but the lure of the Land of Enchantment was too strong and they moved to Albuquerque in 1951 where Helen taught and Hap worked as the first Child Labor Inspector for the state. Together, they were part of the founding members of the Sombra Del Monte Christian Church. Helen taught at La Luz, Five Points and Inez Elementary Schools. She got her MA from UNM and was very active in Classroom Teachers and NEA New Mexico, Phi Delta Kappa, and Pi Lambda Theta. Helen was named NEA NM Teacher of the year in 1973 and was elected President of NEA NM and also president of the UNM chapter of Phi Delta Kappa, among other achievements. Helen stayed in the classroom to the age of 76, and she continued to visit classrooms and tell stories to children well into her 90's. Helen lived an amazing life in her 100 years. In 1963 she was chosen to be a member of the Teach Corps and taught teachers in Africa: two summers in Sierra Leone, two in Kenya, and then one in Kathmandu, Nepal. This started her love for traveling the world. Helen did not go overseas until she was 55 years old. She was an inspiration who demonstrated that life is full at any age. Despite her late start as a world traveler she visited every continent in the world with the exception of Antarctica. She was among the first educators to visit China and returned numerous times with various family members. She was a delegate to the World Conference of Teaching Professionals and attended their meetings around the world. She was selected for national awards such as the NEA Irvamae Applegate Award For International Understanding and the Phi Delta Kappa Ivy Payne Humanitarian Award. She was loved and adored by all who had the privilege of knowing her. She will be missed. Helen lived up to the opening quote and her service earned a really big room on this earth. Helen saw incredible changes in her 100 years. Her family celebrated with a Christmas tree before the tradition was widely practiced in the United States. She lived through two world wars and the depression. She witnessed the advent of "new technology" such as radios, television, airplanes, and mimeograph machines. She witnessed the technological explosion of computers and cell phones. Helen and Hap were married 59 years till his death in 1992. Helen is survived by her two daughters, Ruthe Duquette and husband Duke, Nora Romero Smeltzer; five grandchildren, Andrea Duquette McCrae and husband, Chuckey, Kristen Duquette-LeFevre, Jennifer Romero Jewell, Geoffrey R. Romero Esq., and Stephanie N. Romero. Helen also had 16 great-grandchildren and two great-great-grandchildren are on the way. Besides the legacy of her family, Helen leaves behind thousands of students, here and overseas, whose young minds and values were shaped and influenced by their "favorite teacher." You cannot fully measure the positive impact upon the world caused by Helen's life. A Memorial Service celebrating Helen's life will be held at Sombra Del Monte Christian Church on February 16, 2008 at 3:00 p.m. This date allows out-of-state friends and family members the opportunity to attend. In lieu of cards and flowers please send donations to either Sombra del Monte Christian Church, 2525 Vermont St. NE, Albuquerque, NM 87110 or Oprah's Angel Network, (earmarked for African education), P.O. Box 96600, Chicago, IL. 60693.
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