Diane L. Riegger

* UFT administrative assistant

Diane L. Riegger was union through and through. In a career that spanned 40 years, she worked for various departments of the union and gave her all to each one. She was dedicated, hardworking and cheerful, with great interpersonal skills, and she retired in 2007, after a long and rewarding career.

Diane died on April 8, at 72 years of age.

Diane began her 40-year career at the UFT in September 1967 as the secretary to Abe Levine, a founding member of the union and vice president for elementary schools. She next worked for another founding member, Treasurer Jeannette DiLorenzo, who became a personal friend.

While on child care leave in 1983, Diane worked part time for Bill Scott, an assistant to former President Al Shanker. When she returned to full-time work, among her many responsibilities was coordinating with hotels and vendors for the union’s two biggest events, the Spring Education Conference and Teacher Union Day. She also handled the seating arrangements for those celebrations. Diane enjoyed meeting and interacting with members.

When DiLorenzo became chairperson of the Retired Teachers Chapter, Diane worked as her administrative assistant. When Tom Murphy became political/legislative director in 1990, Diane worked with him to coordinate VOTE/COPE accounts under one administrative process.

She was invaluable to Murphy in a complicated endeavor. “Diane patiently walked me through a minefield,” Murphy said. “Unlike some who acted in a defensive, proprietary way, Diane shared her knowledge with the new kid on the block. She helped me successfully unify a COPE kaleidoscope into a cohesive vision. And she was a genuinely nice, upbeat person,” he said.

Her last assignment was with Tom Pappas, former director of staff. Until her retirement in 2007, Diane treated everyone she worked with equally and helped them all, whether it was an officer, a special representative, a district rep or a member.

“Not only was Diane a colleague of mine, she was a true and loyal friend,” said Pat Rojas, the Retired Teachers Chapter’s web editor. “She was so caring and thoughtful. I, along with my family, were blessed and honored to have known her.”
Diane is survived by her daughter Diana and son-in-law Christopher and her sister JoAnn.

If you would like to contribute in her memory, a cause dear to Diane’s heart was the Juvenile Diabetes Foundation, at www.jdrf.org

Condolences may be sent to:

Diana Worcester
11 Quigley Road
Wallingford, CT 06492