Paly data processing clerk Lue Phelps passed away at the age of 88 on Sunday, March 13, after being hospitalized for the past few weeks.
The news of Phelps’s death came as a surprise, according to science teacher Kenyon Scott.
“An e-mail went out saying Lue [Phelps] wasn’t feeling well and was sent to the Stanford Hospital,” Scott said. “I had no idea she passed away.”
Many of Paly’s current employees owe their careers to Phelps, including registrar Suzie Brown.
“Lue Phelps taught me my job after the previous registrar left to go work in the East Coast,” Brown said. “She had to start from scratch with me and we did everything the ‘Lue Phelps Way.'”
Phelps had her own special way of doing things, according to Principal Jacqueline McEvoy.
“She [Phelps] was famous for hand writing notes with her red pen and adding smiley faces at the end,” McEvoy said. “She’s been here for about 35 years and she just worked until she couldn’t work anymore.”
Gunn High School’s data processing clerk Martha Cartwright worked closely with Phelps, who helped develop a lot of new programs to help make the data clerk’s job easier.
“Way back in the early days when we were on the HP System, Lue [Phelps] found ways to make our data entry jobs faster and better,” Cartwright said. “She created a few programs and presented them to Computer Services. We used many of her brilliant creations.”
Math department Instructional Supervisor Radu Toma is devastated by the loss and says that it will be hard to imagine Paly without her.
“She’s been here for the 17 years I’ve worked here [Paly],” Toma said. “It will be hard to imagine the guidance office without her because she was like a staple in the guidance office.”
Many members of the Guidance Office highly regarded her kind nature, according to Guidance Counselor Susan Shultz.
“She used to often say special things to me and she had a way of making you feel better,” Shultz said. “She would often come into my office to compliment me on my work.”
McEvoy also remembers Phelps for her dedication to students.
“My best memories of Lue [Phelps] would just be of her coming into my office,” McEvoy said. “Her concern was always about doing something that could be improved to help the students.”
The students will be impacted by the loss, according to Brown.
“She [Phelps] dealt with First Aid training and CPR and also made sure the grades were accurate,” Brown said. “She spent many hours on the weekends and after school working. She was very smart and ran a tight ship with the records. She was very attentive to details and had to be very accurate. She never lacked in telling people what she believed in and wasn’t afraid to go that extra mile.”
Shultz regards Phelps’ death as a great loss to the Paly community.
“Everything about her was special,” Shultz said. “Every student who ever met her would know how special she really was. It’s going to be tough to realize she’s actually gone.”
According to Scott, Phelps started her career at Paly filling in temporarily for a friend, expecting to only stay for a couple months, but her love for Paly kept her there until the very end.
“I started teaching at Paly in the 80s and she [Phelps] was already here then,” Scott said. “I held her in the highest esteem and I think she embodied the very spirit of Paly.”
Phelps was always very enthusiastic about her job, according to Shultz, who said that Phelps loved working at Paly.
“She had so much enthusiasm and spirit for Paly and she was just a real spitfire,” Shultz said. “It’s hard to describe her; you really had to meet her in person.”
Phelps was also known for her involvement with UNICEF because of her interest in helping people, according to Brown. Phelps even went as far as making a collage of photos of children cut out from UNICEF brochures, which is currently in her office.
A memorial service is being planned for Phelps at 2:15 p.m. on Thursday, April 8, at Paly, and will include a brass band playing Louis Armstrong’s classic jazz composition “When the Saints come Marching In” during the procession. According to Assistant Principal Kim Diorio, Phelps had always wanted this song to be played at her funeral.
“I have lost my buffer as she was the one who braved the ‘wars’ verbally while I supported her but remained silent,” Cartwright said. “She made my work days happy just knowing she was always there for me. We shared the same work ethics. I loved this magnificent lady and I will miss her forever.”
Phelps is survived by her daughter, Jenny Phelps.