At the Nov. 6 Town Meeting, the college took a moment of silence to remember Valerie Ball, a long-time senior administrative assistant.
She died on Nov. 2, confirmed by LPC interim President Roanna Bennie. Ball was wrapping up her second decade with the college and was well-regarded by her colleagues.
“Although Val could have very straight-forward ways of expressing herself,” Bennie wrote in her email to the college, “if you listened further, she had a big heart and warm sense of compassion. As she made her way around to various spaces on campus, she was always a welcomed visitor, and she will be fondly remembered for her laugh and her love of music.”
Ball was first hired as a professional specialist in December 2000. She spent time as an Administrative Assistant II for Early Childhood Development/Social Sciences and Wellness Division. She also served as a senior administrative assistant for the Arts and Communications/ Humanities division.
For the last few years, she worked for Social Sciences, Library, Public Safety and Career Education Division.
According to Bennie’s email, Ball’s family will hold a private ceremony in her remembrance. Multiple members of the LPC community expressed their grief at Ball’s passing in response to Bennie’s email.
“I’ve known Val for almost 14 years, and she was a consistent, kind, on-top of everything person,” wrote Nadiyah Taylor, Coordinator for the Early Care and Education Program. “I enjoyed her compassion, her willingness to always say what she thought and to stand up for others. And she always had chocolate. I will miss her very much.”
“I feel like a spot of fresh air has been carved out of the campus where you could find Val plugging away at being so helpful and a being a campus encyclopedia too,” wrote professor Theresa Murray wrote.
The moment of silence at the town hall meeting was led by Stuart McElderry, the Dean of Social Science, Library, Public Safety and Career Education, where Ball had most recently worked. McElderry also announced that a special memorial would be held at Las Positas in honor of Ball on Nov. 21.
Staff writer Brandon Byrne contributed to this article.
