Ellen Glendening
March 4, 1927 — July 8, 2013
Ellen Glendening
ELLEN GLENDENING
Former Logansport City Council President and civic volunteer Ellen Glendening died Monday, July 8, 2013, at Miller's Merry Manor where she had been a resident for several years. She was 86 years old.
In 1971, Glendening became the first woman elected to the Logansport City Council. She was reelected in 1975 and again in 1979 and also served as council president. She went on to join the Logansport Utility Services Board and, in the 1980s, ran as a Democratic candidate for the state legislature. She was Precinct 11's Democratic committeewoman for more than 20 years, registering voters and organizing volunteers to staff the precinct's polling place.
Mrs. Glendening was very active in the League of Women Voters. In addition, she was member of the Altrusa Professional Women's Club and enthusiastically supported the club's adult literacy project. She was also a past member of the Logansport Plan Commission, the School Board Advisory Committee, and the Community Service Council. In all of these endeavors she was a passionate advocate for good government, fact-based governance and a better city.
Born March 4, 1927 in Berkeley, Calif., Ellen was the eldest daughter of Richard B. and Velma (Harris) Heflebower. The family settled in Pullman, Wash., where her father was a faculty member of what is now Washington State University. Later moves ultimately took the Heflebowers to Washington, D.C., where Ellen graduated from Eastern High School in 1945. She graduated with a B. A. in Economics from Carleton College in 1949, and, in the 1980s, earned a Master of Science degree in Public Policy and Public Administration from the Krannert School of Management at Purdue University.
Ellen married Dr. Richard Lowell Glendening, M.D. in June 1949, and their marriage lasted 62 years, until Dick's death in 2011.
The Glendenings moved to Logansport in 1954, when Dr. Glendening established his medical practice. Early on, the Glendenings and other concerned parents became involved in local education issues. Ellen, in particular, was a prime mover in the successful effort establishing an elected school board for Logansport public schools to replace the township-trustee system of school governance.
Ellen enjoyed a lifelong interest in wildflowers and gardening. She was a wonderful cook, an avid reader, and an accomplished knitter. Her family misses her greatly.
She is survived by four children: Ann, Spokane, Wash.; Tom, Orlando, Fla.; Owen, Mandeville, La.; Andrew, Redlands, Calif.; sisters, Jean Mitchell of Valparaiso, Ind., and Linda Heflebower, Evanston, Ill.; six grandchildren and a great-granddaughter, along with beloved nieces and nephews. She was preceded in death by her husband, her sister Louise, and a son, Paul.
Her family expresses special gratitude for the kindnesses extended to Mrs. Glendening during her final days by Dr. David L. Morrical, Justine Currie, Kim and Steve Carroll, Guardian Angel Hospice and the staff of Miller's Merry Manor.
Memorial messages may be posted to the funeral-home Web site: www.gundrumfuneralhome.com. A private family memorial gathering is planned at a later date.
In lieu of flowers, the family suggests that memorial contributions be directed to: Logansport-Cass County Public Library, Gift Fund in Memory of Ellen Glendening, 616 East Broadway Logansport, IN 46947.
Former Logansport City Council President and civic volunteer Ellen Glendening died Monday, July 8, 2013, at Miller's Merry Manor where she had been a resident for several years. She was 86 years old.
In 1971, Glendening became the first woman elected to the Logansport City Council. She was reelected in 1975 and again in 1979 and also served as council president. She went on to join the Logansport Utility Services Board and, in the 1980s, ran as a Democratic candidate for the state legislature. She was Precinct 11's Democratic committeewoman for more than 20 years, registering voters and organizing volunteers to staff the precinct's polling place.
Mrs. Glendening was very active in the League of Women Voters. In addition, she was member of the Altrusa Professional Women's Club and enthusiastically supported the club's adult literacy project. She was also a past member of the Logansport Plan Commission, the School Board Advisory Committee, and the Community Service Council. In all of these endeavors she was a passionate advocate for good government, fact-based governance and a better city.
Born March 4, 1927 in Berkeley, Calif., Ellen was the eldest daughter of Richard B. and Velma (Harris) Heflebower. The family settled in Pullman, Wash., where her father was a faculty member of what is now Washington State University. Later moves ultimately took the Heflebowers to Washington, D.C., where Ellen graduated from Eastern High School in 1945. She graduated with a B. A. in Economics from Carleton College in 1949, and, in the 1980s, earned a Master of Science degree in Public Policy and Public Administration from the Krannert School of Management at Purdue University.
Ellen married Dr. Richard Lowell Glendening, M.D. in June 1949, and their marriage lasted 62 years, until Dick's death in 2011.
The Glendenings moved to Logansport in 1954, when Dr. Glendening established his medical practice. Early on, the Glendenings and other concerned parents became involved in local education issues. Ellen, in particular, was a prime mover in the successful effort establishing an elected school board for Logansport public schools to replace the township-trustee system of school governance.
Ellen enjoyed a lifelong interest in wildflowers and gardening. She was a wonderful cook, an avid reader, and an accomplished knitter. Her family misses her greatly.
She is survived by four children: Ann, Spokane, Wash.; Tom, Orlando, Fla.; Owen, Mandeville, La.; Andrew, Redlands, Calif.; sisters, Jean Mitchell of Valparaiso, Ind., and Linda Heflebower, Evanston, Ill.; six grandchildren and a great-granddaughter, along with beloved nieces and nephews. She was preceded in death by her husband, her sister Louise, and a son, Paul.
Her family expresses special gratitude for the kindnesses extended to Mrs. Glendening during her final days by Dr. David L. Morrical, Justine Currie, Kim and Steve Carroll, Guardian Angel Hospice and the staff of Miller's Merry Manor.
Memorial messages may be posted to the funeral-home Web site: www.gundrumfuneralhome.com. A private family memorial gathering is planned at a later date.
In lieu of flowers, the family suggests that memorial contributions be directed to: Logansport-Cass County Public Library, Gift Fund in Memory of Ellen Glendening, 616 East Broadway Logansport, IN 46947.
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