It is with great sadness that Hawken announces that Faculty Emeritus Zoann Little Dusenbury passed away on February 26, 2009, in the company of her children, at Judson Park as a result of complications from Alzheimer’s disease.
Mrs. Dusenbury, a Laurel School alumna, earned a B.A. in English and graduated magna cum laude from Smith College in 1950. She began her 26 year career at Hawken in 1961 and furthered her education at Western Reserve University with an M.A. in English in 1963.
At Hawken, Mrs. Dusenbury taught kindergarten and fifth grade at the Lyndhurst campus as well as English, Shakespeare and creative writing at the Upper School. She also created and coached the first Hawken girl’s field hockey team. When not on the field hockey field, Mrs. D dabbled in theatrical productions (including an appearance as The Woman in Hawken’s production of "Death of a Salesman") and led many memorable assemblies.
Mrs. Dusenbury was an inspiration to her students, particularly the first female students who arrived on the Gates Mills campus in 1975. Many continued to stay in touch with her after her retirement in 1987.
Zoann Dusenbury was the beloved wife of the late Warren for 47 years. She was also the mother of Warren C. Dusenbury ’71, Amy D. Reuteler, and Wynne D. Odell ’76; and the sister of Robert Little ’48 and the late John Little ’48.
Contributions in memory of Mrs. D may be made to Hawken School, P.O. Box 8002, Gates Mills, Ohio 44040, or to the Cleveland Museum of Art, 11141 East Boulevard, Cleveland, OH 44106.
A memorial service will be determined at a later date.
An independent, coeducational, college preparatory day school, toddler through grade 12
Early Childhood, Lower, and Middle Schools, 5000 Clubside Rd, Lyndhurst, OH 44124 Birchwood School of Hawken, 4400 West 140th Street, Cleveland, OH 44135 Upper School, PO Box 8002 (12465 County Line Rd), Gates Mills, OH 44040 Mastery School of Hawken, 11025 Magnolia Dr, Cleveland, OH 44106 Gries Center, 10823 Magnolia Dr, Cleveland, OH 44106