Edith Blakeslee Phelps, Dana Hall’s fifth Head of School, passed away on Wednesday, April 15. She was 91 years old. As Dana’s Head of School, or Principal as she was called then, Mrs. Phelps led the School during the turbulent 1960s. She instituted many remarkable and innovative academic and social changes at Dana and was beloved by alumnae and faculty.

Mrs. Phelps served as Dana Hall’s Principal from 1963 to 1973. Prior to her tenure at Dana Hall, she was head of the History Department and then Assistant Headmistress at Concord Academy. She arrived at Dana Hall with her three daughters, Judith Phelps Felton, Catherine Phelps ’68, and Lisa Phelps. Under her leadership, Dana Hall moved entirely onto the former Pine Manor College campus (1965) and added three new buildings – Alnah Johnston Hall, the Dining Center, and the Dorothy Dunning Mudd Gymnasium.

Mrs. Phelps was a firm believer that people made a school great and made important changes to the culture of the Dana Hall community. In 1964 she replaced dorm housemothers with young married couples, many of whom had young children, who brought an exuberance and excitement to Dana. She also hired younger faculty with varied backgrounds and points of view and introduced an advising system that fostered a strong academic link between students and faculty.

Mrs. Phelps championed several programs that allowed Dana students to experience the “vaster campus.” In 1968, seniors were allowed to pursue independent study, a half credit course based on a project of the student’s own interests and talents. She also introduced the Pilot Program, in which participating seniors lived in a separate house, prepared their own meals, and spent half of their school time in a supervised apprenticeship in the Boston area.

Mrs. Phelps started February Week as a time when student and teacher roles could be reversed and all members of the community had the chance to offer and participate in instructional workshops on a wide range of topics. She also expanded community service and volunteer activities, as Dana students participated in the Boston School Volunteer Project and made contributions to the House of Carpenter and Harriet Tubman House.

Co-education was one of the toughest decisions that Mrs. Phelps faced. In 1970 she agreed to a nine-week experimental exchange with St. Paul’s School in Concord, New Hampshire. Seventy juniors and seniors from Dana traveled to St. Paul’s for the winter term and an equal number of boys from St. Paul’s arrived at Dana. The experiment was deemed more successful in the social realm than the academic. The following year, Dana decided to remain a girls’ school.

In 1970, Mrs. Phelps was elected president of the New England Association of Colleges and Secondary Schools. She was awarded the Smith College Medal in 1972 for those “who exemplify in their lives and service to their community… the true purpose of a liberal education.” After she left Dana, she became the National Director of the Girls Clubs of America. Mrs. Phelps was elected a Dana Hall Corporator in 1975 and served as an Honorary Corporator until the time of her death.

“During my time at Dana, I have quickly become a student of the School’s rich history,” said Head of School Caroline Erisman. “As I meet with alumnae and former faculty, I have heard truly amazing stories about Edie Phelps. She was a remarkable leader and an academic visionary. Her commitment to the individual student and her dedication to preparing Dana graduates for a complex and challenging world continue to influence and better the lives of our students and faculty.”

At a memorial service held on April 25, Mrs. Phelps’ daughter, Kate Phelps ’68, read from "A Talent for Joy," the Baccalaureate Address her mother delivered on June 5, 1966. Read the full text here.

Mrs. Phelps’ family has asked that any contributions in memory of Edie Phelps be made to Dana Hall School’s Edith B. Phelps Scholarship Fund.