Hilda I. Sorell, teacher, administrator, and social justice advocate, dies at 74

Hilda I. Sorell, 74, of Camden, a tireless teacher and school administrator, and a fiery advocate for opportunity, equality, and fairness, died Wednesday, Jan. 20, of COVID-19 at Cooper University Hospital.

Ms. Sorell was born in Puerto Rico, raised in East Harlem and the Bronx, and worked in New York, Philadelphia, and Reading. She lived in Camden for more than 30 years, but joined organizations that made a difference for people wherever she was.

“That was part of her DNA,” said her husband, Jose E. Delgado Jr.

Ms. Sorell championed projects for voter registration, and student empowerment, and was a leader in Puerto Rican and Latino groups. Even in retirement, she stayed connected to her Camden community and worked as treasurer for the board of directors of the Puerto Rican Unity for Progress.

“She showed she cared by doing things for people, not just talking,” her husband said. “She had a wide awareness of the world.”

Ms. Sorell was born on Oct. 29, 1946, in Barrio Espinosa, Vega Alta, Puerto Rico. One of six children, she moved with her family to New York in 1950. She learned English by living it, graduated from Hunter College with two degrees in education, and later added administrative certifications through three more colleges.

Her family wrote in a tribute that her motivation to achieve and contribute through education and activism was sparked by the outreach organizations she joined as a youth, and her parents, who “supported and encouraged her to never shrink from life’s challenges.”

The Fresh Air fund helped her spend eight summers away from New York with a host family in New Hampshire. Her childhood church, La Iglesisa La Hermosa, emphasized community service. And she was an early member of ASPIRA in New York, the Puerto Rican and Latino association that promotes “nurturing the leadership, intellectual, and cultural potential of its youth.”

Her first job came in 1969 as a teacher in the New York City public schools. Over the next 20 years, she became an administrator in bilingual and special education, and a vice principal. She was revered as an expert mentor.

She joined the Philadelphia School District in 1991, and worked as a teacher and administrator until her retirement in 2006. She also was the director of bilingual education for the Reading School District from 1997-2000.

Simultaneously, Ms. Sorell worked to make lives better away from the classroom. She served on the board of the Berks County United Way, advocated for accurate Hispanic accounting in the 2000 Census, and proudly joined in Camden’s Puerto Rican parades and celebrations.

For more than 10 years, Ms. Sorell was a leader for Puerto Rican Unity for Progress, a group that provides critical services to low-income residents, especially in the Hispanic community, in Camden County. “She dedicated her entire life to the struggle for social justice for her community and the disenfranchised,” her family said in a tribute.

She wasn’t loud. But, even at about 5 feet tall, she was feisty. “She was small but powerful,” said her daughter, Ana Cecilia Delgado.

“She had a wonderful light about her,” a friend wrote on Facebook.

Ms. Sorell married George Sorell in 1968, and they had a son, Michael. After their divorce in 1986, she married Delgado in 1990. They had met in New York, and she became as active for him as a political organizer as she was for her causes. She even left her teaching job in New York to become his campaign manager when he unsuccessfully ran for mayor of Camden in 1990.

At home, Ms. Sorell was a great cook, and the family still raves about her rice and beans. She loved Jeopardy! and Wheel of Fortune, crossword puzzles, jazz concerts, and mystery novels. She liked baseball and football, but got so exuberant at her grandson Alijah’s wrestling match one time that Delgado had to pull her outside and have a word with her.

In addition to her husband, daughter, son, and grandson, Ms. Sorell is survived by three sisters, two brothers, and other relatives. Her ex-husband died earlier.

A memorial service will be held later.

Donations in her name may be made to the Puerto Rican Unity for Progress, 818 S. Broadway St., Camden, N.J. 08103.