A celebration of the life of Helen Huth Watkins, M.A.

Because there is no question whether we will remember the unforgettable Helen Watkins, we have chosen not to use a traditional “In Memoriam,” but instead, to celebrate an exceptional life that continues to grow within the innumerable people who were touched by Helen’s life, mind, and heart. It is a life whose effects on intellectual, educational, social, and personal lives within the hypnosis community and far beyond have been so vast that they will always remain uncharted. The facts of Helen’s life are quite interesting and unique. A romantic at heart who adored opera and studied it in Innsbruck each summer, Helyanthe Maria Wagner, daughter of Anna Maria and Josef Wagner, first opened her sparkling blue eyes to this world on July 19, 1921 in Augsburg, Bavaria. As her father had died before she was born, Helen and her mother lived with her grandfather until she was eleven. Helen always spoke fondly of the grandfather who was the only father she had ever known. She knew that he loved her as unconditionally as any human could. No doubt she drew upon what she experienced in this special relationship in the years to come. When Helen was eleven, she and her mother immigrated to the United States and established residence with her maternal aunt and uncle, Mary and George Sinzker in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Helen could only speak German when she arrived, and when she began school, many of the other children ridiculed her attempts to speak English. However, her iron determination (and her excellent ear) allowed her to master the English language so well, that she eventually spoke it without any accent whatsoever. She was chosen valedictorian of her senior high school class. Helen was briefly married to Robert Verner and widowed at age 20. She later married Richard Huth and had two children, Marvin and Karen. She received her B.A. from Pennsylvania State University (Phi Beta Kappa) and her M.A. from the University of Denver. She had completed all requirements for her doctorate degree at the University of Denver except the dissertation. She was single mother then, and she made the decision that her need to support her children and focus on their care was stronger than her need to pursue the doctorate further. Shortly after arriving on the campus of University of Montana to take the position of psychologist at the Student Counseling Center, Helen met John (Jack) Watkins, the director of clinical training at the university. They married in 1971 and American Journal of Clinical Hypnosis 45:2, October 2002 Copyright 2002 by the American Society of Clinical Hypnosis