METHUEN — Mayor William Manzi is proposing to name the Methuen Adult Learning Center after Shirley Callan, the school's founder and longtime leader.
Callan died Feb. 1 at the age of 73. She started the Methuen Adult Learning Center with grant money in February 1991. The school, located inside the Currier School at 36 Boylston St., is a part of the Methuen public school system and has about 130 students who are learning English as a second language and receiving GEDs.
Manzi, the chairman of the School Committee, is proposing to name the center the "Shirley Callan Adult Learning Center at the Currier School."
"Nobody in the community did more for adult education — and stood in when times were tough when other people might have given up — than she did," Manzi said.
The school, where immigrants learn English, is considered by the state to be the best adult education program in Massachusetts, according to Superintendent Jeanne Whitten.
Callan was a popular educator remembered by colleagues for greeting students with a smile and providing them with a quality place to learn. She continued working from her hospital bed while she was ill.
School Committeeman Kenneth Willette Jr. and State Sen. Steven Baddour suggested to Manzi that the school be named after Callan, and Manzi said he liked the idea.
"That was her life — the center," Willette said, noting that Callan was a strong advocate for state funding for the school. "She dedicated her life to enriching the lives of so many people across Methuen through the various programs that they offer at the center."
Naming the facility after Callan will require a vote of the School Committee. Manzi said he would like to install a plaque on the building and hold a dedication ceremony there.
"I think there's universal support for renaming the center in her honor," Willette said.
Willette said members will likely include the proposal as an agenda item and vote on it at an upcoming meeting.
Whitten said the students will be delighted.
"I think it is a wonderful idea," the superintendent said. "She has consistently provided us with the best adult education program in the Commonwealth, year after year. I think this kind of tribute is warranted."
