- Date Of Birth: May 2, 1917
- Date Of Death: August 2, 2015
- State: Louisiana
Beulah Ellen Little Welcker, a lifelong resident, educator and daughter of the City of New Orleans, passed peacefully on a Sunday morning, August 2, 2015 at Live Oak Village of Hammond. She was 98 years old.
Beulah began her long and accomplished life on Octavia Street in New Orleans, on May 2, 1917, born to Jesse Leslie Little of Maurepas, LA and Tressa Shepherd of Hume, Illinois. Her life took a sad and difficult turn at the age of 5, upon the death of her mother. She and her little sister by 13 months, lived for a time in the Second Street Home off of Magazine St. with the second marriage of her father to Emma Henrietta Floegel of Algiers, LA. Beulah began to flourish.
She always said “ the influence of the strong women in her life helped to develop her self-worth, discipline and courage to accept the opportunities life presented. “ The enthusiasm, energy and will for adventure she added, Beulah improved the position, profile and influence of women just by living her life.
She graduated second in class from John McDonogh High school in 1934 and she was off!
She received a scholarship to the Normal School of Ursuline College to follow in the footsteps of her mother’s sister Alice Shepherd as an educator for New Orleans Public Schools, with summer classes taken, she graduated in just 3 years in 1937 from the affiliated Loyola University with a degree in Philosophy from the College of Arts and Science.
She began her teaching career at Andrew Jackson School and continued her graduate studies at Duke University in Durham, N.C. in 1939 and 1940.
Beulah’s next assignment was a teaching position at the Colton School in New Orleans.
During her years as principal, she was organizer, presenter, and key note speaker at numerous local and national conferences and workshops on behalf of education. She even joined an envoy of American educators that sailed to confer with educators in Cuba in the 1950’s.
Also, during her years at White School she received sabbatical leave from the Orleans Parish School Board for independent study abroad, and took an around the world tour of 30 countries from 1960 to 1961.
From 1967 to 1974 she was married to the late Clyde Joseph Welcker of New Orleans, and they had no children.
Beulah loved all things about New Orleans. She even lived in the French Quarter for a number of years, on St. Louis St. at the historic Herman Grima House, and found out just how many friends she had during Mardi Gras.
Her dedication to the YWCA (Young Women’s Christian Association) as an administrative volunteer and as a Board Member lasted decades and she was appointed World Fellowship Chairman for 1966.
She was a friend to the Cabildo, to the Louisiana State Museum, to the New Orleans Museum of Art, and to the Pitot House on Bayou St. John. And, what she gave she got back. Beulah had so many life long and loving friends. She said, “ Family is not always defined by blood. It’s defined by ties of the heart.” She had good friends, many gone on because she was herself, a truly good friend. She said she was looking forward to the reunion.
Three months before her passing, she spent her 98th birthday with her friend of 90 years, Elizabeth “Bessie” Sanders. They grew up together around the City Park, and remained friends and reunited for the last 7 years of her life at the Windsor Senior Living Community of Mandeville.
Beulah, upon retirement had returned to Delgado St.
She did not sit about during her retirement, but joined another retired principal in his tour bus company and her love of history and travel made her the perfect tour coordinator and tour guide for seeing the U.S.A.
Her ashes will be spread privately by her family along Bayou St. John, that runs through the her favorite neighborhood, in the city she loved. What a steady shining light she is!
