Gayle Ellen Whittier

Gayle Ellen Whittier, teacher, writer, and intellectual extraordinaire, died at home on August 25 at age 82. A memorial service will take place on Wednesday, September 6 at the DeMunn Funeral Home, 36 Conklin Avenue. Visiting hours begin at 4 p.m., and the memorial  service begins at 6 p.m.

Born in Niagara Falls, she was the only child of Herbert and Ruth Baney (née Foster). She received her undergraduate degree from SUNY-Buffalo, won a Warren Wilson scholarship, and went on to achieve her Ph.D in Literature from Cornell University.  In 1969, she became a professor in the English Department at SUNY-Binghamton, specializing in Shakespeare. She taught for 52 years, retiring in 2021.

Whittier was a brilliant thinker and teacher, she was known for her fierce intellectual integrity and independence of mind. Her Shakespeare lectures became famous across campus due to her infectious and inspiring love of language. She was equally respected for the wide array of innovative courses she taught in addition, including literature and medicine, literature of war, and experimental literary forms.

Whittier loved her students and her students loved her. She opened the world of literature to them, but many students also say that she changed their lives. She directed some toward the intellectual pursuits they were born for. She helped others survive times of personal crisis. Whatever the circumstance, she always saw her students as complete human beings.

A gifted writer of both fiction and scholarship, Whittier won numerous awards for her short stories. Her work was published in several literary magazines, and included in the Best Stories from a Quarter-Century of the Pushcart Prize and Best Short Stories of 1981. She taught numerous fiction writing workshops, eventually  becoming Director of Creative Writing.

Whittier was known to all who loved her as a force of nature. She was an animal lover who rescued countless cats and dogs. Her green thumb who could revive even the most seemingly hopeless of plants. She also had an amazing eye for antiques and art.

Whittier leaves behind her only daughter, Ellen Whittier, from her marriage to Henry S. Whittier. She will be deeply missed but always loved by her daughter, her many close friends, and  students.