Remembering Helen

It is unfathomable to me that that irreverent spirit has been made silent. We all need to carry on the work for justice and equality that has been Helen’s existence. None of us, I’m afraid, will have her flair. It has been an honor to know her.

Terry Bloomberg, ACLU-EM Board Treasurer

Always "dressed to the nines" even at an ACLU BBQ

At Pro-Choice Rally in Forest Park with Milly Cohn and Joyce Armstrong

Helen with Laura Cohen and Judge Judy Draper at an ACLU event.

I knew Helen in her professional life long before I knew her through the ACLU, as she worked with my mother. So I was well aware of her energy and spirit before I associated her with civil liberties. When I joined the ACLU of Eastern Missouri in the 1980's, Helen acted in many ways as a mentor to me as she helped welcome me into the organization.

Her focus on civil liberties and her dedication to this cause and the others she embraced was acute and unerringly correct at all times. Her creativity and input was essential to the ongoing viability of the ACLU-EM. Her spirit was unflappable. Her voice will be sorely missed.

Thomas Blumenthal, ACLU-EM Board President

Helen meeting Harry Belafonte before he spoke at the 2007 ACLU Bill of Rights Celebration.

ACLU-EM board member Sherman George and executive director Brenda Jones join in the fun.

"Helen stopped me that night at the event and said 'Is Harry Belafonte even here?' At her height and in a crowded room she couldn't see that he was just a few feet away. I grabbed her hand and introduced the two great icons to each other. They were fun to watch." - Scott Emanuel, ACLU-EM staff

She always lit up the room.

Helen was a very inclusive person. From the first time I met her, she made an effort to invite me to many events which afforded me new experiences and opportunities. That is in addition to all the other wonderful things about her.

Sydell Shayer, ACLU-EM Board Member

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It was a night in the early Spring of 1980. There was an issue about the schools, and my wife, Mary Jane Underwood, volunteered to hand out leaflets about it. But she hadn't considered the weather. It was quite cold that night, and she became very chilled. A woman, a stranger, was with her, and noticed Mary Jane's shivers. The woman took off her own sweater and insisted that Mary Jane wear it. Later, when Mary Jane came home wearing the sweater she told me of that woman's unusual kindness and concern for others, so kind that the woman insisted on giving her sweater to a stranger whom she felt needed it more than she, herself, did.
We learned the identity of that kind woman later. It was Helen Weiss. I came to know Helen very well, as we served, for years, on the Board of the ACLU together. She was smart, capable, strong, but above all, concerned for others, kind and helpful. What a wonderful person!

Murray Underwood, ACLU-EM Board Member

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Helen was a very magnanimous woman.  When I first became a member of the ACLU of Eastern Missouri she immediately invited me to be a part of the events committee of which she was the committee chair.  She made me feel very welcome and comfortable as a new member.  I will always remember her attitude towards me which was very strong and amicable.  I loved her very much.

Lois Jean Turner, ACLU-EM Board Member