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A Community Gathers to Celebrate the Life of Heidi Dawidoff, Beloved Hopkins Teacher
On November 24, 2024, in a jam-packed standing room only Upper Heath Commons, former Hopkins colleagues and students, as well as close friends and family members, gathered to celebrate the life of Heidi Dawidoff, a legendary New Haven high school teacher, who passed away peacefully on August 13. Through passionate speeches and touching musical performances, the afternoon gave attendees the opportunity to laugh, cry, and share their fondest memories of her impactful life.
Heidi Dawidoff's tenure at Day Prospect Hill and then Hopkins School, spanning nearly four decades, left an indelible mark on generations of students and the institution itself. Joining the School after the 1972 merger of Day Prospect Hill and Hopkins Grammar School, Dawidoff brought with her a unique and unforgettable approach to teaching English literature, blending intellectual rigor with deep personal engagement. A passionate advocate for the works of Shakespeare, Austen, Baldwin, Woolf, and especially Dickens, Heidi inspired her students not only to think critically but also to cultivate empathy, ethics, and a love for learning. Known for her meticulous grading—returning every assignment the very next class day adorned with detailed feedback—Dawidoff fostered a culture of excellence and respect. Heidi’s philosophy, “I love all of my students, and I love them all equally yet differently—for who they are,” exemplified her commitment to helping each student realize their full potential. Her impact endures, celebrated through the generations she encouraged and shaped and the fund that she established—The Heidi Dawidoff and Toni Giamatti Fund for New Haven Scholars and English Teachers of Promise—to support an exemplary education (and a rich future) for all deserving New Haven scholars and English teachers.
During the celebration of her life, school alums, family, and friends gave moving live musical performances of compositions Heidi loved by Paul Simon, Bach, and others. Dawidoff’s grandchildren Bea Pitkin and Ozzie Pitkin ’29 read passages from books Dawidoff taught for over 40 years. The rest of the afternoon was devoted to touching speeches from seemingly every aspect of Dawidoff’s life.
In Their Own Words: Heartfelt Reflections from Heidi’s Celebration of Life
Below are a few quotes from the many speakers who spoke at Dawidoff’s celebration of life.
Gwen Evans ’84
President of the Hopkins Committee of Trustees
President of the Hopkins Committee of Trustees
Evans met Heidi at Hopkins in 1978.
“She was conservative but open to ideas that only come from young people, patrician in demeanor, but warmhearted and deeply concerned for the wellness of young souls.”
Donna Fasano ’68 DPH
Fasano met Heidi at DPH in 1964, and later became her Hopkins colleague and friend for over 50 years.
“As a teacher, Heidi was the best. She was a rock star and a model of perfection in our shared field of interest and careers.”
Libby Lubin
Lubin was Heidi’s Hopkins colleague and friend, beginning in 1980. As Dawidoff did with so many, she often sent Lubin long handwritten letters.
“Her letters perfectly filled both sides of an eight and a half by eleven sheet of paper with never a cross-out or an insert, as if thoughts simply flowed from her pen like words from a printer.”
Allan Arffa ’73
Arffa was Heidi’s student at Hopkins, beginning in 1972.
“As I led my life after schooling, Heidi’s voice was always in my head telling me to listen to others carefully, be open to other points of view, and be willing to adjust both my thinking and my actions after hearing the words of others.”
Sylvia Schafer ’80
Schafer was Heidi’s student at Hopkins, beginning in 1978.
“Perhaps most important of all was the conversation Heidi developed in the margins of the papers she read...Those markings made me feel present and important. Both praise and criticism encouraged me to believe that my words had weight, that they were worth reading, maybe even saying aloud with my own voice, and were also worth refining in the most rigorous possible way.”
Maya Jasanoff ’92
Jasanoff was Heidi’s student at Hopkins, beginning in 1990.
“What I experienced as a moment of awakening was in fact the product of Heidi’s incredible intellect, preparation, skill, and patience for listening to young people, taking them seriously, and modeling what it was to be an authoritative figure herself.”
Nicholas Dawidoff ’81
Heidi’s son
“My mother never regretted not becoming a professor. She told me she preferred teaching high school students because she felt you could have a deeper, more personal effect on young people’s lives at those ages.”
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