Helen Cockrell
Helen C. Cockrell (born May 23, 1906 in East Saint Louis, Illinois; died March 9, 2013 in Birmingham) was a long-time secretary and historian.
Cockrell's family moved to Birmingham when she was 8 years old. Her father, a long-time superintendent of the Birmingham Water Works, served in the Spanish-American War and brought back cloth and craft pieces as souvenirs of the Philippines, which inspired in Helen a life-long interest in collecting.
Helen attended Pleasant Valley School and was a member of the second graduating class of Shades Cahaba School in 1923. She attended Wheeler Business College and worked as a secretary at numerous Birmingham firms including the Tutwiler Hotel and Southern Natural Gas. She retired in 1971.
Cockrell also volunteered with the Friends of the Homewood Public Library. She was a member of the Homewood Historical Society and the Birmingham Postcard and Collectibles Club.
Cockrell outlived her husband, Neal by more than 30 years. She died in 2013 at the age of 106. She is buried at Elmwood Cemetery.
References
- Miller, Madison (June 26, 2012) "106 years wise: Long live Helen Cockrell" The Homewood Star
- "Helen C. Cockrell" obituary (March 12, 2013) The Birmingham News