Eleanor L. Braddicks

Eleanor Leonora Braddicks was born on November 6, 1920 in Wise (Warren County), North Carolina to Irene Evans and James Edward Harris. She was the oldest of four children of this union. The Harris family migrated North, first to West Newton, Mass., and later to New York City in 1932, where she attended local schools and graduated with honors (Arista) from Wadleigh High School in Manhattan.

Eleanor met Robert Braddicks at a social function, and a relationship began which soon deepened sufficiently to create the basis for 64 years of marriage. They were married on New Year's Eve, December 31, 1941. Their daughter, Carolyn Anne, was born in September 1946. Her beloved husband died in 2006.

Eleanor began working in various clerical and secretarial positions immediately after graduating from High School, including a civil service position at the Brooklyn Navy Yard during World War II. In November 1955 she began working at Consumers Union, which was located in Mount Vernon at that time. She received several promotions over the years, and retired as an Assistant to the Executive Director in August 1986. She continued working part-time at CU as Assistant Archivist for nine additional years - finally becoming a fully retired person in 1995.

Eleanor has been an active member of First Presbyterian Church in Mount Vernon since joining the church in 1955. She served as an Elder from 1978 to 1980, and was a member of the Chancel Choir from 1975 to 2002. She was one of the founding members of the Mount Vernon Music Academy in 1988, and served as Treasurer of the Governing Committee of the Academy from its inception until 2002. She was also a board member of the Hoff-Barthelson Music School in Scarsdale from 1994-2000, and a member of the Zonta Club of Westchester from 1972 to present. She is a member of the Regency Bridge Club and the Golden Years Bridge Group, as well as the Woman's Club of White Plains.