Obituary of Elsa Dik Glass

Elsa Dik Glass, age 89, of Arlington, Virginia, formerly of Washington, DC passed away on Sunday, August 26, 2012 at home. Elsa was born in Brooklyn, New York on August 20, 1923. She was the daughter of Ella Fischer Wagoner, and Selem H Dik, MD. She grew up in New York City and Upstate, graduating from Gowanda High School in 1941, where she was the salutatorian and first violinist in the Orchestra. She attended both George Washington University and Law School, and was a member of the DC Bar. Music, education and community informed her life. Elsa Dik Glass was an attorney in private practice for over 30 years in the District of Columbia, and also held the position of Administrative Judge for the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. She authored a study on the Legal Status of Homemakers in the District of Columbia, which was included in a publication of the US National Commission on Women in 1977. She retired from the EEOC in 1989. Elsa Dik Glass was an active member of her community and held many volunteer positions, starting when she joined her husband in Occupied Japan where she taught English to Japanese students. Her interests were varied included being a founding member of the Women’s Legal Defense Fund, as well as a Girl Scout and Cub Scout leader. She also participated in the Church Choir at Holy Trinity Church in Georgetown, and was president of the Georgetown Pre-Preschool. Elsa helped to organize political campaigns to get voting rights for the District of Columbia and was precinct chairman for the Republican Party in 1964. She provided pro-bono counsel for many women who were victims of domestic abuse, and was instrumental in helping to establish the House of Ruth. Elsa was an avid traveller and visited all continents with the exception of Antarctica. She enjoyed exploring her Swedish and Syrian background and made professional connections all over the world, hosting lawyers from Japan, Sweden and Russia and Brazil. Her other passion was Nelson Eddy and Jeanette MacDonald. She enjoyed participating in Fan clubs and did considerable research on their lives. Elsa Dik Glass is survived by her five children and their spouses including: Elsa Anders and Robert Lauten of Purcellville VA, Jane Ann Glass of Arlington, VA, Dik and Barbara Glass of Mystic, CT and Jacksonville, FL, Christian and Susan Glass of Garfield, AR,and Meg Glass of Greenwich, CT. and her seven grandchildren and spouses Drew Lauten and Rebecca Flaherty of Bluemont, VA, Garrett Lauten and Chris Sanford of Lanconia, Nova Scotia, Peter Lauten of Brussels, Belgium, Alex and Kate Glass of Norfolk, VA, Joanna Glass of New York, New York, and Christian and William Glass of Garfield AR., and her sisters Florence Stromberg of Saint Louis, MO., and Gloria Hudson of Houston, TX., and cousin Lena Fischer of Gotenborg, Sweden. Her marriage to Norman Pilmer Glass ended in divorce. The Family asks that in lieu of flowers Donations be made to Georgetown Visitation Preparatory School for Girls.