Librarian for the Blind and Low Vision Community

Born on April 22, 1876, in Alliance, Ohio, Gertrude was the daughter of Susanna and Dr. John Tressel. She graduated from Mount Union College in 1895 with a bachelor’s degree in music and went on to attend Bryn Mawr College. In 1902, she married Rev. Harrold Rider, with the Alliance Daily Review reporting the wedding as, “The greatest society event of the present season in our city.” Unfortunately, Rev. Rider passed away in 1911.

It is unknown when Gertrude’s interest in working with the blind and low-vision community began, but by 1912 (24 years before Delta Gamma’s philanthropy was established), she was serving as Librarian for the Blind at the Library of Congress. At the same time, she chaired the Work with the Blind committee of the American Library Association. She had a particular passion for helping veterans and focused much of her work on providing them with braille materials.

In 1915, she traveled to Japan to study educational methods and opportunities for people living with blindness and low vision. After returning to the United States, she wrote about her observations in the quarterly journal Outlook for the Blind. In 1922, she testified in front of the Post Office and Post Roads Committee in the House of Representatives, advocating for the blind and low vision community. From 1923-25, she served as the National Director of Braille for the American Red Cross.

In 1925, she married Fred Harpham, the vice president of Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company. He passed away in 1934. Gertrude spent many years traveling the world, going to Guatemala, South Africa and India. She passed away in 1968.