Gail M Whitaker, a longtime member of Media Borough Council, and the first Black woman to practice law in Delaware County, died Dec. 5. She was 81.

The Media Borough resident valued the borough’s small-town charm while championing its business district along State Street as representing Main Street USA.

Ms. Whitaker was a community advocate and volunteer, born in Philadelphia, but raised in Chester and Media, writes Gary Miles for The Philadelphia Inquirer.

She was a VISTA antipoverty volunteer in Oregon, Texas and California in the 1960s and 1970s, earning a law degree from the University of Oregon in 1975.

She returned home to practice law in Chester and Media.

Ms. Whitaker was vice president of Media Borough Council and served several terms as a member in the 1980s, ‘90s, and early 2000s.

She was an outspoken voice on council committees for water, mental health, and health services.

She also served as solicitor for the borough’s zoning board and civil service commission.

Friends and former colleagues called Ms. Robertson a “Media icon,” serving with “integrity” and a “dedication to others.”

 “We are all better for the leadership of Gail in so many community initiatives,” said one friend.

Find out more about the life of Gail M Whitaker in The Philadelphia Inquirer.