By Tiffanie LeBlanc | Observer Reporter
On August 11, 2011, Retiree, Professor Herman Gelbwasser passed away unexpectedly. Professor Gelbwasser was born on March 3, 1940 in Manhattan NY and had earned his Master’s in Chemical Engineering before he began his 45 year long career right here at Mount Wachusett Community College.
Professor Gelbwasser retired from the Mount in 2010 as a Professor in mathematics and chemistry. He lived in Rutland with his wife and was an avid Red Sox and Celtics fan. Many of his students found his class’s fun, hands on and easy to understand because of his patience with making sure each and every student could understand and learn from everything that was going on in his class. Some students are even part of a group on Facebook called “Herman Gelbwasser’s Chem Kid’s.”
Melanie Patterson wrote an article about the professor in the alumni association section of the mounts web site called “Finding The Right Chemicals.”
His daughter Sherry Gelbwasser said, “My father loved his students and enjoyed working at the Mount. I was aware that he was both well-liked and influential during his tenure at Mount Wachusett Community College. He set the bar high for me to be as patient and as interested in helping students as he was – and to do it for forty-five years. Those are the qualities that I hope to emulate as I try to carry him along with me.”
Whether any of us knew him on a personal level or not, whether someone took his class or ate lunch with him in the faculty lounge, one thing is for certain, Professor Gelbwasser was dedicated to the education of students and their success. Mr. Gelbwasser will be missed by many, but never forgotten for his extraordinary work as an instructor here at Mount Wachusett Community College.
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