Helena Lucas Santos Collection [1937-2000]

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The Helena Lucas Santos Collection contains documents and photographs pertaining to the life and career of Helena Santos, EdD, a Portuguese American educator in Massachusetts. Most of the items focus on her time as a teacher and educator at Hudson Public Schools, where she worked within the ESL and Bilingual Education programs. Also included are various images and writings from bilingual students who attended Hudson Public Schools from 1977-1986.

Her doctoral dissertation was titled "The Socialization Experience of Cape Verdean, Latina and Portuguese Women Faculty at Four-Year Institutions in Southern New Enland".

Biographical Sketch

Helena Lucas Santos (b. 1954) is a Portuguese American educator and scholar from Ludlow, Massachusetts. She holds a Doctorate in Higher Education Administration (UMass Boston), a Master’s in Education in Bilingual/Cross-cultural Counseling (Boston University), and a Bachelor's Degree in Portuguese (UMass Amherst). She taught at Hudson Public Schools for 9 years as a teacher and counselor within the English as a Second Language and Transitional Bilingual Education programs. She also served as the Title VII Lau Coordinator from 1982-1986. In 1986, she moved to Bridgewater State University where she worked in the Academic Achievement Center and in 2006 to Lasell University where she served as Assistant Vice President and Dean of Academic Success for the rest of her career. While teaching in Hudson, Helena met David Fox, also from Hudson, and they married in 1984. They have one son, Daniel.

Helena was born to Alzira Lucas Santos (1922-2015) and Antonio do Rosario Santos (1920-2019). Alzira was born as the third child to Germano and Gloria Lucas, Portuguese immigrants living in Ludlow, MA. Germano and Gloria decided to move back to Evora de Alcobaça, Portugal to raise their children but, shortly after returning, the two older children passed away. Alzira became the oldest of seven children that followed. It was here that Alzira eventually met her husband, Antonio do Rosario Santos, and they married in 1946.

Because she was born in the United States, Alzira held American citizenship. Therefore, she came back to the United States in 1952 and her husband and their daughter, Maria, followed soon after. They settled in Ludlow, MA, where Alzira was born. The Santos’ went on to have two more children: Helena and Jose, and two grandchildren: Daniel Santos Fox and Isabel Corkey Santos. Alzira worked as a seamstress in the local manufacturing companies such as Cromwell Mills, Carter’s Clothing, and Spaulding Sports Corporation. Antonio worked for various companies such as Chapman Valve, Westinghouse, and Moore Drop Forging Co./Danaher Tools.