March 29, 2016
Our community is reeling from the loss of school psychology legend, Ed Shapiro. To learn more about Ed’s life and legacy, see articles here and here, as well as his CV and Rob Volpe’s slideshow. Though Ed spent much of his career at Lehigh University, through his scholarship, mentoring, leadership, and sheer presence, his influence reached far beyond the institution. The ECF is grateful to be part of that legacy due his strong support of this initiative and our activities to support early career development and advance the field of school psychology.
As so many of us struggle to envision school psychology without Ed, we invite you to share your most special experiences or lessons here.
Submitted by Tom Fagan on Wed, 2016-03-30 08:39.
A great loss to so many in our field. His efforts on behalf of pediatric school psychology and the promotion of school psychology generally will be long remembered. For decades the Lehigh program has been known for the leadership of Ed Shapiro. The Lehigh colleagues will no doubt carry on that tradition of leadership and scholarship.
Submitted by Whitney Kleinert on Wed, 2016-03-30 09:10.
You made incredible contributions to the field and I am certain you were an incredible person outside of the field. As a doctoral student, I have learned so much through your work. I am thinking of you and your family.
Submitted by Nathan Clemens on Wed, 2016-03-30 09:32.
Ed, It is difficult to express what you have meant to me; a teacher, a mentor, a colleague, and a friend. Thank you for being there for me and for all of the incredible opportunities that you provided. I can only hope that I can do the same for my students as you did for me. You always have and continue to be an amazing inspiration for me to work hard, do good work, ask tough questions, and never give up. Thank you. Love and respect always.
-Nathan
Submitted by Jessica Hoffman on Wed, 2016-03-30 10:37.
I owe so much of where I am today to the tremendous education and support I received from Ed Shapiro. When I entered the PhD program at Lehigh, I never imagined myself as a faculty member. Ed set the highest standards and expectations, he modeled hard work, creativity, and leadership, he prioritized securing funding to support his graduate students, he believed in his students’ success, and he mentored us well beyond our years in the program. Ed gave me opportunities and challenged me to go way outside my comfort zone. I hear Ed’s words in my head and I make decisions based on his careful guidance. He was a wonderful mentor and I miss him terribly. The rabbi at Ed’s funeral yesterday said that “a long life is not good enough, but a good life can be long enough.” Ed did so much good with his life, he left so many of us better for knowing him. Although he is no longer with us, his legacy will endure.
Submitted by Bryn on Wed, 2016-03-30 13:37.
Ed – You meant so much to the ECF and SPRCC as well as early career scholars everywhere. Thank you for your support and mentorship over the years. We will remember you often.
Submitted by Carlos Calderon on Thu, 2016-03-31 12:35.
I met Ed at the NASP 2016 conference. I was impressed by his energy and his original, candid opinions. I had the fortune of listening to his TSP award acceptance speech. My thoughts are with his family and loved ones.
From Rebecca Martinez: I remember at CDSPP one year – it was maybe my first or second year as a trainer, and Ed was sitting at the table next to mine. I was super intimidated and nervous, but he started a friendly conversation. He asked me what my area of research was and I said “um, RTI, sort of…I think” and he just smiled and made it okay. I felt foolish because I totally stumbled on my words. Years later, when I chaired SPRCC, we sat next to each other at dinner and had a wonderful conversation. I reminded him of that encounter and we both laughed! I have shown his RTI video (the one of him at the elementary school) every single year to both students and practitioners as a model of what RTI looks like when it’s done well. I also have used his book in my academic assessment and intervention class. Here he is five years ago – passionate, funny and totally brilliant! This is how I will remember him.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2GjjLUbep8c