Our Crowdfunding Groups
To read Harriet Sclar Kallich's full obituary, please click here.
Harriett Rena Sclar Kallich, 97, passed away peacefully on February 2, 2021, at The Cedars of Portland, Maine.
Harriett Kallich was a lifelong and passionate educator and mentor of students at any level. She was patient, kind and challenged each student on their own terms to learn and grow. She received her Master’s in education from South Dakota State University, taught at several high schools in South Dakota, and then at DeKalb High School. She remembered each student’s name and their brother‘s and sister’s names, too, all of who passed through Mrs. Kallich’s required social studies class. A much-beloved and revered teacher in DeKalb, she led the Humanities Department and humanities curriculum development for the DeKalb County School District until her retirement in 1979.
Harriett was also an ardent advocate of civic engagement and was President of the DeKalb Park District Board of Commissioners, President of the League of Women Voters, and a member of the county Democratic Party Committee. She and Martin were actively involved in many progressive issues campaigning for civil, migrant, and reproductive rights and against antisemitism and racism. Harriett and Martin Kallich also cared deeply for the NIU libraries, especially the Rare Book and Special Collections department. They donated funds for display cases for materials for special collection materials and established the Martin Kallich endowment, which funds the acquisition of 18th-century materials. NIU Libraries' impressive 18th century collection is continually improved because of their generosity.
Harriett and Martin were devoted to each other and had a true partnership in their marriage. She deeply loved all of her family and frequently supported them in their educational endeavors.
Contributions to the Kallich Endowment in her honor can be made through this site, by calling 1-877-448-2648, or by mailing your gift to the following address:
NIU Foundation
PO Box 746
DeKalb, IL 60115
(If mailing in your gift, please download and print a gift form by clicking here, or reference your gift purpose in the memo of your check)
The following endowed scholarship was established by Harriet Kallich:
The Martin Kallich Endowment
The Martin Kallich Endowment was established by Harriet Kallich to honor and pay tribute to Professor Emeritus Martin Kallich, Ph.D. for his lifelong interest in, and many scholarly contributions to, the field of 18th Century British literature and politics. Funds to the Martin Kallich Endowment are used annually for the benefit of the Rare Boooks and Special Collections Department of the Northern Illinois University Library.
