Patricia H. Hummel

Patricia H. Hummel, Ph.D., died on May 25, 2024, in Reading, Pennsylvania.

She was the widow of Dr. William W. Hummel, Sr., who died in 2006.

Born in Lancaster County, Pa., on November 30, 1928, she was the daughter of George Forney Hostetter and Mary (Eshleman) Hostetter. All her life, she valued the Mennonite tradition in which she grew up.

An honor graduate of Manheim Township High School, she was awarded a B.A. in English Literature cum laude from Oberlin College in 1949. After receiving certification for elementary and secondary education from Millersville University, she taught in the Lancaster County schools for four years.

She served as a teaching assistant at the University of North Carolina while earning a master’s degree in English in 1956. In 1993, she received a Ph.D. in English from Temple University, the subject of her dissertation being Reading poet Byron Vazakas. She also studied at the Pasadena Playhouse and the University of Pennsylvania.

For 41 years between 1956 and 2007 she was a member of the English Department of Albright College. In the early years, she directed the productions of the Domino Players. Later, she established and directed the Albright Writing Center. For ten years she served as president of the Albright Friends of Music.

Pat, as she liked to be known, participated actively in the community. In 1974, as president of the Reading branch of the American Association of University Women, she established the annual Book Sale, now known as the Berks Book Bonanza. She was the scriptwriter for, and a performer with, the AAUW Songspinners, and was a long-time member of the literature study group, serving as treasurer in later years.

She was elected three times to the Reading School Board, once receiving the highest number of votes of any city candidate. She served from 1979 to 1989. Pat was also a member of the board of the Berks County Intermediate Unit and the Reading-Muhlenberg Vo-Tech School. She engaged in a number of local political campaigns.

Pat was one of the four founding members of the Foundation for the Reading Public Museum and served on its board for many years, for one period as interim education director. She was a member of the board of the Reading Symphony Orchestra for more than fifteen years.

She was a member of Park Road Presbyterian Church, originally First Presbyterian Church of Reading. She taught Sunday School in the early years and in later years sang in the choir. In 2016, she was elected to the session as a ruling elder.

Her survivors include a sister, Mary Lou Winder; children, William Hummel, Jr. (Sue Ann) and Mary Zebert (Neil); grandchildren, Brad Hummel (Emily), Scott Hummel, and Haley Zebert;

step-grandchildren, Kyle Zebert (Julissa) and Jeffrey Zebert (Sarah); step-great-grandchildren, Zadiel Zebert, Tauriel Zebert, and Noctis Zebert; and nieces and nephews.

A memorial service will be held on June 9, 2024 at 2:00 PM in the Merner-Pfeiffer-Klein Memorial Chapel, Albright College, Reading.