Diane Gibbons Dodds, formerly of Radnor and a 1956 graduate of Haverford High School, is being remembered for her work as the Radnor School District’s longtime archivist, as well as her roles as a high school library aide, French and elementary school teacher, mentor, and volunteer.
Mrs. Dodds died on April 20 at Naaman’s Creek Country Manor in Garnet Valley. She was 87, writes Gary Miles for The Philadelphia Inquirer.
She was a lifelong reader, grammarian, and history enthusiast who became the archivist for the Radnor school district in 1993.
There were thousands of items, including report cards, tattered textbooks, academic and sports trophies, the cornerstone of the old high school, a 1957 paperback copy of Rudyard Kipling’s novel Kim, and the Radnor-Lower Merion sports victory bell.
She retired in 2006.
Thanks to her organization of the archives, one teacher was able to spot her husband in an old photo of a junior high school wrestling team. Another teacher saw his grandfather in a faded photo of the 1928 Radnor swim team.
“Diane lived a life marked by dedication to education, family, and community,” her family said in a tribute.
Find out more about the life of Diane Gibbons Dodds in The Philadelphia Inquirer.
