Helen Gordon Litrico
August 20, 1927 - February 16, 2008

Helen Gordon Litrico, the founder and longtime publisher of Amelia Now, passed away Saturday, February 16, 2008, at the age of 80
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She was born on August 20, 1927 in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, and graduated magna cum laude from Duke University.

She was a pioneer in television and print advertising, where she won many prestigious awards, including an ADDY award while working in New York City for the Atlanta-based firm of Liller, Neal, Battle and Lindsey.

After marrying her husband, Fernandina Beach native Gino Litrico, Helen came to Amelia Island in 1970 and was one of the first employees at Amelia Island Plantation, where she was Public Relations Director. In 1973, Helen was awarded the Golden Image trophy and a Certificate of Merit by the Florida Public Relations Association for her book Amelia Island Explored. This work also garnered her a letter of commendation from the Governor of Florida.

An avid lover of local history, Helen was involved with the Amelia Island Restoration Foundation, the Duncan Lamont Clinch Historical Society and the Amelia Island Museum of History. Along with several other local historians, Helen was instrumental in the creation of downtown Fernandina's Historic District in 1975.

In that same year, she founded Amelia Now, the quarterly magazine of Amelia Island that has grown from a 16-page booklet in brown ink on ivory paper to a full color publication of 56 to 64 pages that now boasts an annual circulation of over 160,000 copies.

Helen published Amelia Now until suffering a stroke in 1992. She was proud to see the family tradition continue, though, as her son Charles has served as publisher since then.

In 2004, the Amelia Island Museum of History honored Mrs. Litrico for her "pioneering research, preservation efforts and dedication to disseminating the rich and unique history of Amelia Island."

She was a wonderful wife, mother and grandmother, and an asset to the Fernandina Beach and Amelia Island communities. Her presence will be sorely missed.