Sonya “Sunny” Sobel Stern Richman, 87, died from complications of Alzheimer’s disease at her Center City home April 22, where she lived with her husband of 18 years, John A. Ryan, and her step-granddaughter.
For years she took music lessons and was accepted into the Curtis Institute of Music. Much to her parents’ dismay, Richman rejected a music career to become a teacher. After entering the School District of Philadelphia in 1956, Richman was a member of the Philadelphia Federation of Teachers from her first day at school and dedicated hours to the union. She was a member of the negotiating team that obtained a collective bargaining agreement that set the Philadelphia teachers’ salary schedule as the highest among large cities in the United States and the highest of any school district in Pennsylvania. The restrictions on female teachers were abolished and maternity leave protections were revolutionized, according to a press release.
