Jean Louise Himrod Stull Cunningham of 661 Benson Road, Waterford died July 30, 2011. Born January 30, 1929 to Alfred E. Himrod and Georgia Briggs Himrod, she was a lifelong resident of Waterford.
A 1946 graduate of Waterford Joint High School, she earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Art Education from Edinboro State Teachers College in 1949 and did graduate work at Penn State University and Palomar and Mira Costa Colleges in California. Her teaching career included brief stints in Bessemer and Union City, Pennsylvania, after which she taught at Fort LeBoeuf High School in Waterford, retiring in 1985 after 31 years. Besides formal art education in all media she instilled in her students an appreciation for the natural world. Being a strong advocate of environmental stewardship and against cruelty to animals of any kind, she strove to draw these qualities from her students. Throughout her tenure she also mentored student teachers from Edinboro and Mercyhurst Colleges.
In the 1960s she began her career as a professional artist, rendering mainly in watercolors, her impressions of the natural world. She gained inspiration not only from local sites but from many travels she took throughout the United States, including Alaska and the Pribilof Islands. She visited Mexico, Belize, Kenya, and most of the provinces of Canada. Her work has been exhibited in at least nine cities in the United States.
Perhaps for more than her educational and artistic accomplishments, she would like to be remembered as being a spokesperson and exemplar for environmental stewardship. With her late husband, James G. Stull, she began in 1960, banding birds on Presque Isle for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. This continued for nearly 40 years. In that time, while much valuable data was accumulated, of equal if not greater importance was the number of people whose lives were enriched by experiencing a bird in hand or by having their questions about nature answered merely by having been passersby at the banding station.
Recognizing a thirst for knowledge of the environment, Jean contributed a widely read nature column in the Erie newspaper during the 1950s. With Presque Isle as a focal point and with the expressed desire for people of similar interests to have a means to assemble and share their knowledge, Jean and Jim in 1956 founded the Presque Isle Nature Club that later became the Presque Isle Audubon Society, a chapter of the National Audubon Society. It is still a vital environmental organization that has grown to upwards of 700 members in northwestern Pennsylvania.
In recognition of their important work in drawing attention to and working to preserve the natural history of Presque Isle, the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania in 1993 honored Jean and Jim by naming the nature exhibition building the Stull Interpretive Center.
With her growing reputation on matters of the environment Jean was appointed to or served on many committees, among them the Presque Isle Advisory Committee, The Pennsylvania Wild Resource Conservation Fund Advisory Committee, Presque Isle Resource Management Plan Task Force and the Purple Martin Conservation Association Board of Trustees.
She has accrued awards from numerous and diverse organizations that have recognized her excellence in the fields of art, education, and the environment, the most recent being the 2010 John C. Oliver Environmental Award.
She is survived by her husband, Harry N. (Toby) Cunningham of Waterford, a son, James A. “Sam” Stull and his wife Barbara Mitchell of McKean, a son, David W. Stull and wife Charlene of Waterford, a step-daughter, Elisa Burden and husband Dan and a stepson, John Cunningham and wife Christina, all of Melbourne, FL; three granddaughters, Miriam Stull, Isabel Burden, Lindsay Cunningham; a sister, Martha Smith and husband Ralph of Culpeper, VA; nieces, Sheryl McDowell, and Sloan Trumbo, and all those whose lives she has touched through her kindness and charity.
There will be no public viewing or funeral service. Family members will greet visitors at the Van Matre Funeral Home, 105 Walnut Street, Waterford on Tuesday from 2:00 pm to 4:00 pm and from 7:00 pm to 9:00 pm.
In lieu of flowers, friends are requested to send a contribution to a charity of one’s choice, particularly those dealing with animals and the environment.
So sorry to hear of her death. We grew up with one of her early painting in our home and I purchased one as well. My Mom was an artist and respected her ability.
My sincere condolence, Toby Walt Toperzer
Our hearts grieve of the loss of your loved one. I ( Don ) had her for art class at least four years at Fort LeBoeuf High School. She was a great teacher and a super person to talk to. Always had a friendly smile and usually a kind word to encourage you.
I’m sure now she is in a much better world with her butterflies, birds, and all of Gods nature he created for her to enjoy.
I did not know Jean for very long, nor see her very often. And yet I will never forget her quiet activism. She inspired generations of environmental stewards throughout her life by her example and freely shared the best spots to watch birds. Whenever I see the purple martins at the foot of sommerheim I will remember Jean.
My heartfelt condolence to all Jean’s family. I fondly remember her as the best of the best at FLBHS. I am honoured to own an artist’s proof of an owl that she did at school circa 1977. I have looked at it everyday since. Jean has been a huge influence in my life.
Today is a day to celebrate Jean’s life and her extrodinary being. Peace to you all.
Among the many terrific teachers at Fort LeBoeuf High School, Mrs. Jean Stull affected my life daily then and now! Mrs. Stull trusted me, allowing me to work in the art room whenever I was free! She inspired and led me in ways too numerous to mention – but mostly about art.
I remember her as beautiful with gorgeous freckles and a great smile.
She treated us with respect, recognizing our individual gifts. Not all of us were easy to love every day, but she did not waiver in her determination.
For many years, Jean posted a crayon drawing that my sister Dorothy made when she was four or so – of her hair before Mom combed it. Jean used it as an example of the element of art “line”.
There is not enough time nor space to share what this wonderful woman meant to me. She is a treasure tucked into my heart.
We remember Jean and her dedication to animals and wildlife that were her inspiration for her art. Our condolences to the family. May you find comfort in knowing Jean touched our lives and the students she served with grace, kindness, and dedication.
She was outstanding in motivating students and her work promoting the understanding & importance of nature studies in terms of species & habitat. She perfrormed with a high level of regard with her students and her community & generated a lasting impression not only in our area but around the world.
We will continue to be blessed by her life’s work.
Our family extends our condolences.
We mourn the passing of a lovely, kind, and humble lady. She came into our family with much grace. She leaves beautiful art as part of her legacy. Dave and Janet
It was a privilege to have known Jean and to have been her friend. She was a tremendous influence on the lives of those in the Reiners family: my mother’s “idol,” my father’s inspiration for all things natural, mine for aspiring to live life completely. “I am the swift uplifting rush of quiet birds in circled flight.” (from Do Not Stand at My Grave and Weep by Mary Elizabeth Frye)