Sandra Louise Whitney

1944 - 2019

Sandra Louise Whitney

El Paso - After a brief illness, Sandra Louise Whitney, age 74, passed away peacefully on Tuesday, December 10, 2019. Sandy was born on December 20, 1944 in Barberton, Ohio and was the oldest child of Frank and Virginia Whitney. The family returned to El Paso when Sandy was a toddler so she considered herself an El Paso native. Sandy was a proud graduate of El Paso High School, class of 1962. She graduated from Phillips University in Enid, Oklahoma with a degree in Theater Arts and a minor in Religion. After completing her degree, Sandy's first teaching assignment was Theater Arts at Radford School. She taught Theater Arts classes and served as Student Activities Director at Radford for eight years. She then made the transition to public school education when she was hired by the Ysleta Independent School District. She taught Theater Arts and English at Valley View Middle School. During this time she began work on her Master's Degree in Educational Administration at UTEP, which was completed in 1980. She also completed certifications in Mid-Management, Supervision, and Superintendent. As she began her career as an administrator, Sandy served as Assistant Principal at Eastwood Middle School and later at Hillcrest Middle School. She became Principal of Vista Hills Elementary School in 1992 and served in that position until her retirement in 2003. During her years at Vista Hills, the school was recognized for high academic performance. Following retirement, Sandy assisted as a Middle School consultant in EPISD for a short time and eventually returned to full time employment in 2004 as Principal, Lincoln Middle School. She remained in that position for ten years until her return to retirement in 2014. One of Sandy's greatest joys has been her involvement in The Delta Kappa Gamma Society International. She was initiated into Eta Kappa Chapter in 1975 and at the time of her death was an active member of Mu Kappa Chapter. She has served the Texas State Organization as Area Coordinator, Convention Chairman (1986), Program Committee Chairman, and State President (1995-97). She was a recipient of the Texas State Achievement Award in 1991. At the International level, she served as Southwest Regional Director, International Second Vice-President, International First Vice-President, and member of the Educational Foundation Board of Trustees. She was selected to participate in the International Golden Gift Leadership Seminar in 1992 and was the recipient of the International Achievement Award in 2006. Sandy loved traveling (especially cruising) and was always ready to schedule just one more trip! She was an avid Dallas Cowboys fan, UTEP Basketball fan and enjoyed trips to NCAA Regional Basketball Tournaments. Sandy is survived by her long time friend Carolyn Grantham, sisters, Linda and Marda Whitney, niece. Heather Ponsford and husband Harold, great nephew, Rayden Montes, great nieces Nela Montes and Edelyn Ponsford. Special thanks are extended to Dr. Maria Aloba for the special care provided to Sandy over the last several years. A service to celebrate the life of Sandy Whitney will be held on Monday, December 16 at 11:00 AM at St. Paul's United Methodist Church, 7000 Edgemere. Donations to honor her memory may be made to the Alpha State Texas Educational Foundation, Assistance League of El Paso, or to the Braden Aboud Memorial Foundation.