HELENA — The Helena City Commission issued a proclamation Monday night, honoring longtime community leader and arts advocate Ed Noonan.
Noonan passed away last month. At Monday’s commission meeting, Mayor Wilmot Collins read the proclamation, which declared Feb. 10, 2020 “Commissioner Ed Noonan Day.”
Noonan had lived in Helena for more than 30 years. He was recognized for his work as a playwright and poet, and he received a fellowship from the Montana Arts Council.
He was a longtime employee of Carroll College who worked in a variety of roles – most recently as an adjunct instructor in English. Previously, he spent 15 years as the executive director of The Myrna Loy.
In 2015, Noonan was elected to the Helena City Commission, where he served until December 2019. Shortly before his death, the city had hired him as interim manager of the Helena Civic Center.
Collins’ proclamation recognized Noonan for his decades of service to the Helena community.
“The city of Helena was blessed for having him as a citizen, advocate, teacher and leader,” it read. “The impact on the city and its citizens is immeasurable, and we are greater for having known him.”
The Myrna Loy has announced it will hold a “happy wake” and storytelling event in memory of Noonan on Thursday, Feb. 27, at 5:30 p.m.
