Judith Thompson Witmer

Dr. Judith Thompson Witmer is a prolific writer on a wide range of topics. Her professional books include the first guidebook written for women in pursuing advancement in educational administration (Moving Up), a book on service learning (with shared authorship of Carolyn Sandel '65), and one on team-based professional development. Her research passion, however, is personal and social history as evidenced by her wide-range of publications, beginning with a biography of Rodrigue Mortel, MD (I Am...See more

Dr. Judith Thompson Witmer is a prolific writer on a wide range of topics. Her professional books include the first guidebook written for women in pursuing advancement in educational administration (Moving Up), a book on service learning (with shared authorship of Carolyn Sandel '65), and one on team-based professional development. Her research passion, however, is personal and social history as evidenced by her wide-range of publications, beginning with a biography of Rodrigue Mortel, MD (I Am from Haiti) who rose from abject poverty to becoming a renown gynecology oncologist and philanthropist. This was followed by Jebbie: Vamp to Victim, the true story of a young woman who went from being the stunning and stylish girl with all the gentlemen callers to becoming a town legend, until she fell prey to her niece, leading to deceit and tragedy. All the Gentlemen Callers: Letters Found in a 1920s Steamer Trunk is a companion publication to Jebbie in the form of narrated love letters from Jebbie's suitors. The book offers a first-hand account of life in a gentler time and displays emotions familiar to all generations as revealed through the more than 100 letters written by her many suitors. Published in 2012 is Growing up Silent in the 1950s: Not All Tailfins and Rock 'n' Roll, an investigation of the factors that created the Silent Generation. Its historical framework is enlivened by personal reflections by members of this generation through diaries, scrapbooks, interviews, and other memoirs, as well as the author's investigation of the factors that created a generation that, despite the suppression of the times, history has shown to be responsible and productive. Loyal Hearts Proclaim (2013), the 500-page social history of Lower Dauphin High School is the first of its kind, containing anything one would want to know about this hidden treasure of a successful high school that was unusual in its early support of the faculty (half of whom were first-year teachers) to introduce innovative courses and approaches to teaching and learning. It also includes narrative reflections from each class (1961-2010) and the name of every person who worked at the school during these often glorious first fifty years. Her more recent books include a biography of her parents (Kate and Howard) and a narrative genealogy of the lineage of four sisters (The Thompson Sisters) through their two sets of grandparents from the time these ancestors landed in the 17th Century on the east coast of America; in 2016, she produced Letters from a Son to His Father, WWII, the story of a young soldier, William Calhoon, who spent three years in the Philippines, never failing to write to his widowed father; and I Have Always Loved You, the story of an enduring friendship and belated romance. The English Students, a celebration of the Baby Boomers who were graduated in the 1960s from a newly-formed school with uncommon energy, providing a fresh canvas to create both art and history. In addition to the number of books she has written, Judith Witmer has published numerous articles in professional journals, a cover feature in Penn State Medicine, newspaper columns, monographs, national speeches, and book reviews. Dr. Witmer holds a B.A. in English Literature, an M.S. in Humanities, and a Doctorate in Administration, as well as post-doctoral credits from Harvard University. As a change of pace, she also has been a professional musician, featuring piano and vocals in "Recapture the Romance, Music of the 20th Century." See less