Delores Hopkinson

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Biography

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Delores was born in 10-27-1930 to Owen Leslie Hopkinson (Jan 16, 1010) and Mary Frances Heller Hopkinson (May 16, 1912), near Irwin, in Westmoreland County, PA, USA. She attended Hempfield Twp. schools until Grade 11, when she transferred to Sewickley Twp. High School due to Hempfield Twp.'s lack of high schools. She gained many life-long friends at Sewickley where she played trumpet in the school band and school orchestra, sang in the school choir and the girl's quartet, and was her class president.

At Otterbein College she majored in chemistry, biology, and education, and was the recipient of numerous awards resulting from her many leadership roles in school activities: President of the campus YWCA, the Sigma Zeta Science Honorary, co-chair of the campus Christian organization, Vice President of her sorority, and a member of the campus social committee. In her senior year she, along with three other classmates, were voted Representative Seniors.

In 1958 she was married to Dr. John Walter Nelson. They had two children, Greta (1959) and Sara (1951). After college she worked as an electro-chemist at Battelle Memorial Insitute in Columbus, Ohio, her major project being the finding of a suitable material to serve as covers for the nose cones of rockets. From there she moved to teaching in the public schools, a career more amenable to marriage and a family. She started as a chemistry teacher, then in later years moved to Special Education when her husband John Walter Nelson returned to college to earn his Phd. in Eighteenth Century Literature. In 1970 Walter took a position in the English Department at Eastern Kentucky University, and Delores started teaching at Lafayette High School in Lexington, Kentucky. Eventually she moved into administration. Upon her retirement, she served as a consultant for Special Education in schools districts of the central and mountain regions of Kentucky.

Delores also served as the secretary of the Kentucky Chapter of the United Nations Association and president of of the Madison County Chapter, President of the Central Kentucky Chapter of the Council for Exceptional Children, President of the Kentucky Vocational Education Special Needs Program, and was an active member of her Quaker Meetings.

After the death of Walter, and since 2007, Delores has lived in The Kendal/Crosslands Retirement Center of Kennett Square, PA USA.

Sources

• First-hand information. Entered by Delores Hopkinson at registration.