MILDRED ELIZABETH AKINS

MILDRED ELIZABETH AKINS BURLINGTON - Mildred Elizabeth Akins passed away on Thursday, Jan. 21, 2010, peacefully in her own home, at the age of 98. Ms. Akins was a beloved and well-respected educator in Burlington for over 50 years. She was born in Ticonderoga, N.Y. on Nov. 5, 1911, the daughter of David Akins and Sarah Thatcher Akins. Her father was Chief Engineer of the steamboat Ticonderoga. The family had long ties to Vermont and New York State, including their ancestor, Seth Warner, a Green Mountain Boy. Ms. Akins was a member of the Burlington High School Class of 1928 and graduated With Honors from the University of Vermont with her Bachelor's of Arts in 1932, and her Master's of Education in 1962. Ms. Akins, "Millie" and "Mimi" to her family and many friends, pursued a love of teaching, learning, and mentoring as a teacher and scholar throughout her life. She taught school during the height of the Great Depression in Jeffersonville and later in Wallingford, Vt., Bristol, R.I. and North Plainfield, N.J., before joining the History Department as a faculty member at Burlington High School. Ms. Akins was a John Hay Fellow at Northwestern University and Colorado State University, and also studied and researched at the University of Maine at Orono and Indiana University. She was a member of Alpha Xi Delta Sorority, Mortar Board, and Honorary Society Delta Kappa Gamma. Ms. Akins was an inspiring and caring teacher to decades of Burlington High School students, served as a Department and school administrator, as well as being a wellloved mentor to many young teachers and staff. She retired in 1984, after more than five decades of teaching. Ms. Akins is remembered for her intellectual curiosity, love of history and literature, and ability to spark greater knowledge and appreciation of language, writing, and reading among young people. Ms. Akins' legacy and love of learning, education, and service also live on through her family. Multiple generations of Akins' family and extended family now work in education and public service careers with diverse organizations including Duke University, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Harvard University, Wellesley College, Colchester Schools, A Better Chance, College Summit, the United States Air Force, the Humane Society of the United States, the Environment Protection Agency, the United States Government, and others. An avid reader of history, current affairs, and fiction throughout her life, Ms. Akins often read several books each week. She also had a great love of travel and with her dear friend and fellow teacher, L. Lucille White, enjoyed many special trips to Scotland and England, Europe, China, Japan, the Holy Land and Jordan, Hawaii, and around the United States, beginning in the 1930s. Each time, she learned as much as she could about different parts of the world and enjoyed sharing her books, photographs, and learning with others. She was also a wonderful cook and baker, and family and friends especially enjoyed her special birthday cakes and holiday fudge, each year. Ms. Akins enjoyed being with her family and friends at the family's former camp, at Thayer's Bay on Lake Champlain, and in other places with loved ones, including North Carolina, Washington, D.C., Germany, and Switzerland. Ms. Akins is especially remembered for her kindness and compassion, sense of humor, interest in others, love of animals, enjoyment of beautiful places, and love for her family and friends. She often made new friends each year, including in the last years of her life. In her final years, Ms. Akins greatly appreciated the loving care of Polly Yandow, Kathi Dastalto, Alle, Pamela, June Robare, Peggy Park, Donna and Martin Waldron, the palliative care nurses from the Vermont Visiting Nurse Association, and other supportive friends. Ms. Akins was predeceased by her beloved sister, Margaret Akins Lanou; her niece Linda Lanou McCarthy; and her brother Howard S. Akins. Ms. Akins is survived by her dearest friend, L. Lucille White; and a loving extended family: her niece, Leslie Lanou Bigoness; great nieces, Lindsay Meade Bigoness, Jennifer D. McCarthy, Allison Akins McCarthy Rafter, Kathan B. McCarthy, and Ellary McCarthy Catino; nephews, William J. Bigoness and James E. McCarthy; great nephews, Devin William Bigoness, Harrison Lanou Rafter, and Ian McCarthy; and other family members and friends. A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at St. Mark's Roman Catholic Church on Monday, Jan. 25, at 11 a.m. Burial will follow at Resurrection Park Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the Visiting Nurse Association of Chittenden and Grand Isle, 110 Prim Road, Colchester, VT 05446 or Vermont Home Share, 412 Farrell Street, South Burlington, VT 05403-4466. Arrangements are in the care of Ready Funeral Services.