Helen E. Walsh

Helen Walsh, 75, devoted longtime federal career
to championing civil rights, equal rights for women

ARLINGTON, VA – Helen Elizabeth Walsh, who spent her thirty-three-year federal career working on the front line of expanding civil and human rights in the United States, died Monday, April 15, in Arlington, VA, after suffering a fall and stroke in January. A native of Holyoke, MA, she was 75.

Helen was a powerful force for equality as a manager of the landmark Title IX legislation, which prohibits sex discrimination in education, including intercollegiate sports, and changed the lives of so many girls and women. Her colleagues remember her as hard working and dedicated, and always having a kind word for everyone. Early in her career, she worked at the Department of Justice, moving to the Office for Civil Rights/HEW in San Francisco, where she was a Title IX Coordinator and largely invented coaches’ pay cases. She next moved to OCR/HQ, in Washington, DC, then was head of civil rights for the short-lived Revenue Sharing at the Treasury Department, and finished her career as national training coordinator for the Equal Employment Opportunities Commission (EEOC).

Helen, who lived in Arlington for more than 30 years, was born Nov. 9, 1948, in Holyoke, MA, the beloved daughter and only child of Helen (Marengo) and Edward Walsh. Upon graduating from Albertus Magnus College in New Haven, CT, in 1970, she committed herself to advancing civil and human rights. As a civil rights investigator at the DOJ, she helped present evidence through exhibits and supporting testimony in race, sex, and national origin discrimination employment cases. Her first and most memorable case required her to go up against Alabama Gov. George Wallace in proving workplace bias in the Alabama Highway Patrol. Her unique presentation focusing on discriminatory oral interviews helped seal the deal for the landmark win. “I was so proud of my role in that case in 1972 that I even invited the DOJ attorney [ Douglas B. Huron ], still monitoring the results of the case, to speak about it at my retirement, over 30 years later,” she wrote years later in an email to family and friends.

She was a world traveler, often accompanied by her mother and other relatives and friends to countries ranging from parts of Africa to Guatemala, Spain, and Ireland, filling her home with treasures from her adventures, especially African art. As much as she loved sports – she had season tickets to the Washington Mystics women’s professional basketball team – she loved all animals even more.

Helen, fondly referred to by loved ones as Helen E. to distinguish her from her mother, leaves numerous cousins and friends. A Memorial Service celebrating her life will be held Saturday, May 25, from 10am-12pm in Messier Funeral Home, 1944 Northampton St., Holyoke. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions can be made in Helen’s name to a charity of your choice.