Former City College student passes away
by Shannon Cole
International artist Elender Wall, a former City College student and daughter of faculty members David and Ellen Wall, died in Berlin on Nov. 15 due to complications from thyroid cancer.
Ms. Wall attended City College before obtaining two bachelor’s degrees, one in music from the San Francisco Conservatory of Music and another in physics from San Francisco State University. During her time at the Conservatory, Ms. Wall studied baroque and renaissance music.
Wall’s musical talent took her around the world, most recently to Berlin where she lived and performed as part of the opera community. She also traveled the United States extensively with touring companies of various shows and with a local handbell group, the Sonos Handbell Ensemble.
Not limited to just performance, Wall released an album titled “The Poetry of Donald Rumsfeld” with fellow San Franciscan composer Bryant Kong in 2013 that featured the words of Donald Rumsfeld set to music.
In addition to her musical talents, Wall also edited and co-authored an introductory-level physics textbook with her father Jesse David Wall, himself a physics instructor at City College for 32 years.
Ms. Wall is survived by her parents and by her fiancé Chris.
A memorial was held in Berlin on Nov. 19 and a performance commemorating her life is being planned for San Francisco in January.
I knew Elender from birth, and we were close enough that she always called me “Uncle Paul” as she grew. As a teen she posed for a photo chapter opener in my textbook’s fourth edition. Later, I was lucky that she became my top student in my Physics 2A class in the 90s. Eloquent and articulate and smart, I encouraged her to be a physics teacher, for my feelings were that she’d make a great one. But I supposed she chose a direction away from the shadows of her teacher parents, and went into music … and wonderfully big time. I’ve remained in touch with Elender over the years, always encouraging her to consider teaching physics at some future time. Sadly, that time never came. I’m very saddened by her too-early passing.
I knew Elender from birth, and we were close enough that she always called me “Uncle Paul” as she grew. As a teen she posed for a photo chapter opener in my textbook’s fourth edition. Later, I was lucky that she became my top student in my Physics 2A class in the 90s. Eloquent and articulate and smart, I encouraged her to be a physics teacher, for my feelings were that she’d make a great one. But I supposed she chose a direction away from the shadows of her teacher parents, and went into music … and wonderfully big time. I’ve remained in touch with Elender over the years, always encouraging her to consider teaching physics at some future time. Sadly, that time never came. I’m very saddened by her too-early passing.