Mary Delia Neuman

Delia was born in 1944 in Shenandoah, Pa., the daughter of Rita B. and Joseph L. Tye. Following her early schooling, she received a B.A. in English from Chestnut Hill College in Philadelphia, a master’s degree in English from the University of Michigan, and a Ph.D. in education from Ohio State University.

During her professional life, Delia served as professor and director of the School Library Media Program, first at the University of Maryland in College Park, then at Drexel University in Philadelphia. She was a great advocate of school libraries and rose to prominence in 2012 as an author/editor of the second edition of “Library Media Standards.” This document serves as the basis for certification of school librarians and media specialists at the national level. She also wrote the book “Learning in Information- Rich Environments: I-LEARN and the Construction of Knowledge in the 21st Century.”

Delia was blessed with impeccable taste, an easy smile, and a sly sense of humor. She was a gracious and trusted friend. She loved to dance and enjoyed big parties like the Capitol Hill Village Gala and an annual St. Patrick’s party at her parish, St. Peter’s Catholic Church on Capitol Hill. In retirement Delia was committed to social justice initiatives at St. Peter’s and at the Capitol Hill United Methodist Church, where she helped provide meals for those in need. Any down time was spent reading books selected by her beloved book club, which over the 23 years of her membership truly valued her astute assessment of a novel’s structure and characters. She often read the books twice. Delia also loved to plan gatherings with classmates from her undergraduate days and explore other cultures with her husband on Viking cruises. And, she happily walked Scalawag, the couple’s latest Lhasa Apso, around Capitol Hill.

Delia is survived by her husband of 57 years, Michael Neuman, by her niece Elizabeth DeJesus Cintron of Newport News, Va., and by Elizabeth’s three children. She was predeceased by her sister Rita T. Backenstose. A funeral Mass will be celebrated at 11 a.m. on April 11 at St. Peter’s, followed by inurnment the following week at Congressional Cemetery in Washington, D.C.