Penelope Hall Dumke

Penelope Hall Dumke, 74, of Madison, died Dec. 27, 2004, at Sunbridge Care and Rehabilitation of North Conway. Born in Cambridge, Mass., July 12, 1930, Penny lived in the Boston area until her marriage to James R. Dumke in October of 1950 in Sherman Oaks, Calif.Penny and her growing family moved several times in the Los Angeles area and Tucson, Ariz. In the Tucson area, she started an English-language program for the Arizona Migrant Ministrypreparing Papago, Yaqui, and Mexican children for first grade. After her family moved back to Los Angeles, she was one of the few experienced teachers who could begin a bilingual Head Start class with a running start. By attending college part-time, she then earned a bachelor's degree in early childhood education from Pacific Oaks College in Pasadena and a master's degree from California State College, Dominquez Hills.After returning to New England, Penny became director of the Beverly (Mass.) Preschool. She taught night classes at Lesley College and North Shore Community College in early childhood, including cognitive development, special needs and program administration. She was known as the "children's trustee" at the Peabody Library in Danvers, Mass., and when Danvers put the Fox Hill School on the market, she and her husband bought it, restored it, got it listed on the National Historic Registry, and opened it as their own preschool child development center.After she and her husband retired in 1996, they moved permanently to Madison, where she continued her trusteeship and support of children' reading programs at the Madison Library.Penny was a devoted wife to Jim Dumke for 54 years and was the mother of five children: James Robin of Alderpoint, Calif., Caroline Ann Klassen of Whidbey Island, Wash., Martha Frances Ahboltin (deceased), Ralph William of Rye, and Peter Hall of Danvers. Her family also includes ten grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.A memorial service will be held at the Madison Church on Saturday, Jan. 15, at 11 a.m. In lieu of flowers, please make donations to the Friends of Madison Library.