K. H. Harrington, talented seamstresss

KOREAN HESTER Harrington seemed to be a born entertainer. She loved to amuse family and friends with stories, songs and ethnic accents.

She played the piano by ear and sang standards and the blues.

Korean was also an artistic seamstress. She opened her own shop, which specialized in custom-made children's clothing, at 10th and South streets in 1951.

"She was known for the sassy, adorable little girl's dresses she designed and produced for stores and patrons," her family said.

Korean Harrington, who aided the war effort during World War II by working as a draftswoman at the Frankford Arsenal, and, after her shop closed, worked in clothing factories tailoring men's suits, died May 9. She was 84 and lived for some 30 years in East Mount Airy.

She was born in Hamlet, N.C., the youngest of the four children of Zachery Ellerbe and Annie Streater.

Her mother's work as a domestic took her to Haddonfield, N.J., and then to Philadelphia.

She attended Lea Elementary School, Sulzberger Junior High School and West Philadelphia High School.

She graduated from Capital Highway High School in North Carolina in 1941.

While in North Carolina, she met the love of her life, Alfred Gordon Harrington.

They were married in 1943, a union that lasted 64 years, ending with Alfred's death last December.

Her shop was successful, but she felt it kept her away from her family too much.

She closed it in 1955 and went to work for clothing factories.

She was a member of Amalgamated Clothing Workers Union and served as a shop steward.

Korean was an active member of Grace Baptist Church of Germantown, which she joined in 1980.

She participated regularly in the adult Sunday school and was a member of the Mamie Henderson Missionary Society.

"Korean loved African-American culture and was knowledgeable about history," her family said.

"Most of all, Korean was devoted to her family. She insisted that her children get a good education - Christian and secular."

She is survived by a son, Alfred Jr.; two daughters, Gail and Kimberly.

Services: 11 a.m. today at Grace Baptist Church of Germantown, 25 W. Johnson St.

Friends may call at 9 a.m. Burial will be in Ivy Hill Cemetery. *