Gail M. Whitaker, longtime Media Borough Council member and the first Black woman to practice law in Delaware County, has died at 81

Gail M. Whitaker, 81, of Media, longtime Media Borough Council member, celebrated community advocate, volunteer, and the first Black woman to practice law in Delaware County, died Thursday, Dec. 5, of lung cancer at her home.

Born in Philadelphia, Ms. Whitaker was reared in Chester and Media, and her lifetime career of service to others began as a VISTA antipoverty volunteer in Oregon, Texas, and California in the late 1960s and early ’70s. She earned a law degree at the University of Oregon in 1975, returned to practice in Chester and Media, and became the first Black woman in Delaware County to represent nonprofits, businesses, organizations, and individuals in all kinds of legal cases.

An expert on business and community development, Ms. Whitaker was vice president of the Media Borough Council and also served as a member for several terms in the 1980s, ’90s, and early 2000s. She was the council’s liaison to the borough’s planning commission and an outspoken voice on council committees for water, mental health, and health services.

She specialized in finance, public works, and public safety, and was solicitor for the borough’s zoning board and civil service commission. She valued Media’s small-town charm and championed its main drag, State Street, as representative of Main Street USA.

Friends and former colleagues noted her “dedication to others” and “integrity” in an online tribute. They called her “a Media icon,” a “legendary leader,” and “a guiding light to future generations.” One longtime friend said: “We are all better for the leadership of Gail in so many community initiatives.”

Ms. Whitaker told The Inquirer during her 1987 campaign for reelection to the Borough Council that “rational business and professional development, maintenance of our historic atmosphere, and response to the needs of our residents will help Media to preserve its residential character.”

She was also president of the Delaware County Bar Association, secretary for what is now the Foundation for Delaware County, and board member of Crozer Health and Delaware County Home Health Services. She was honored by the Media Fellowship House, bar association, and other groups for her work, and her family praised her “passion and unwavering determination to make this a better world.”

She was interested in social work as a young woman and told her family she was inspired by President John F. Kennedy in the 1960s. So she joined the VISTA volunteer group after college and organized voter registration drives and church-related events for several years in underserved communities, especially in Eugene, Ore., and Houston.

She endured racism and overcame obstacles, her family said, and was so effective in her early community work that she was invited to be an usher at the funeral of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in 1968 and one of the few Black delegates from Texas at the 1968 Democratic National Convention in Chicago. “Whatever she did, she did with great passion,” said her brother, Bill. “She always gave it her all.”

Gail Marie Whitaker was born Aug. 23, 1943, in Philadelphia. She was a longtime Girl Scout who later shared her love of nature and animals with her nieces and nephews.

She graduated from Media High School in 1961 and studied at Pennsylvania State and Millersville Universities before leaving to join VISTA. Later, she delivered Meals on Wheels to neighbors in Media and always found time to chat and check up on those who needed her attention. Her favorite Bible passage was “God loveth a cheerful giver.”

Ms. Whitaker enjoyed time in her ever-growing gardens, attending the opera and theater, photography, cooking, and Christmas. She played golf, followed the Phillies and the late Queen Elizabeth II of England closely, and traveled around the country and to Europe, Japan, and elsewhere.

She watched The Wizard of Oz and Saturday Night Live whenever she could, and spent many winters with friends in Barbados. She did macrame and weaving, and collected antique furniture.

She was opinionated and sometimes blunt about what she had to say, her family said. “You didn’t want to cross her,” her brother said. But no one was more loyal or trustworthy as a friend, everyone said.

“She was my inspiration and my rock,” her sister, Anita, said. “She didn’t just talk. She did.” Her brother said: “She was really smart, tough, and loving. She loved deeply.”

In addition to her sister and brother, Ms. Whitaker is survived by nieces, nephews, cousins, and other relatives.

Visitation with the family is to be at 5:30 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 18, at the Media Community Center, 301 N. Jackson St., Media, Pa. 19063. A celebration of her life is to follow at 6:30 p.m.

Donations in her name may be made to the Media Fellowship House, 302 S. Jackson St., Media, Pa. 19063.