Helen Werner
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Helen Werner was described by a news story in Corning Elmira News paper(Star Gazette and Corning Leader)twenty years ago as an outstanding Human being who gave her life helping,teaching and caring for people from different parts of this area and abroad.A colleague professor said that she was so busy helping others that sometimes she would fall asleep in meetings at Corning Community College.If some one asked for help or place to stay,she was willing to oblige if she could.If she could not,she would find someone else to help.Phrases like NOTABLE,Great Volunteer,Loving Mom to many children from abroad,Great cook,great Piano teacher and Literacy Volunteer teacher are the ways,people described Helen Werner.
Helen Werner, a graduate of Wellesley College, Mass., taught English at Corning Community College where she met Alan Werner,a well known scientist in optics at Corning Glass WorksCorning Inc.. She did her Masters from Cornell University.
Both Alan and Helen Werner devoted their second part of life to hosting foreign students for over 25 years from Japan, Hong Kong, Holland, France, Tanzania, India, Ethopia, Kenya, Brazil, Afghanistan, Russia and many other countries. Over the years they hosted close to 40 students--Kassamali family from Tanzania had close to 10 brothers/sister/nieces staying at their house for at least two years like others. Fatma Kassamali joined Williams College as Career Council Director and her brother Jaffer Kassamali taught at CUNY after graduating from Amherst College. While at Amherst,he was a first team All-American soccer player, regarded by many as the best player ever to play for Amherst. Their team beat Harvard (twice) and Jaffer was the undisputed star of the team.
On Thanksgiving, 25 to 35 persons on dining table was common for many years from 1968-90. Helen Werner after her husband's death continued the tradition and was active in several social and educational programs on voluntary basis. She was excellent Piano Teacher also and taught many Piano for free. Literacy program was her favorite and she taught 60-70 years old to read and write. She cooked Meals for Elderly and Homeless as part of Meals on Wheels and Salvation Army and her church.
At age 82,she was diagnosed with Lou Gherig Disease and she chose not to use artificial ways and died peacefully in her home in Corning, NY.
