Irene Blanchard, a longtime faculty member at what was then Lyndon State College in Vermont, died on December 5 in St. Johnsbury, Vermont. She was 87 years old.
A native of Bennington, Vermont, Dr. Blanchard attended a rural one-school house for seven years. After graduating from high school, she attended Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, New York, and majored in home economics. She later earned a master’s degree in counseling from Boston University and a Ph.D. in social sciences from Syracuse University.
After graduating from college and working for a power company and as an extension agent, in 1960 Dr. Blanchard joined the faculty at Garland Junior College in Boston. There, she and her colleagues created one of the first women’s studies courses in the country. She taught there for 16 years until the college closed. She then signed a one-year contract to teach at Lyndon State College (now Northern Vermont University-Lyndon) but ended up teaching there for 22 years, retiring in 1998.
I remember Irene as a kind, thoughtful person liked by all who met her. She was a strong graduate student who excelled in graduate school. It was a privilege to meet her and I am sorry for her loss.