Pioneering Child Psychologist

On the morning of Wednesday, December 28th, Isabelle (Schultz) Segal passed away in her sleep following her 96th birthday party the night before, which was attended by all her children, grandchildren, and greatgrandchildren. Her long life was one of feminist trailblazing in educational and professional attainment, Jewish life and tradition, and love of family.

“Izzy” was born in New York in 1926, to Herman Schultz and Rose Kaplan Schultz. She was deeply connected with her sister, Madeline “Maddie” Schultz Spitz, with whom she spoke almost daily. After William Howard

Taft High School, she attended City College of New York, graduating at 19 with a BS in Education in 1946. She went on to teach high school biology to returning GIs. At City College she met her husband, Stanley (Stan) J. Segal (died 2009). Their children, Amy Lynn Segal Shorey and Eric Andrew Segal were born in 1951 and 1957; their second child, Mitchell, born in 1956 with spina bifida, lived nine months. She received an MA from New York University in 1948 and a Ph.D in Education from the University of Michigan in 1964, one of fewer than 1,000 women graduating with Ph.Ds in the country that year. She completed post-graduate studies at Harvard University and Teachers College of Columbia University.

She was a senior psychologist at the Head Start program run by Bank Street College of Education as well as at other Head Start programs, including in Boston. Later, she was a child psychologist at the Rockland County (New York) Community Mental Health Center, until retirement. She worked many years in private practice in New York City and Rockland County. Throughout her career, she supervised and taught students, researchers, and early-career psychologists. In 1993, she studied for and celebrated an adult Bat Mitzvah at the Stephen Wise Free Synagogue. She instilled deeply the values of education, hard work, compassion, and excellence in her children and grandchildren.

She is survived by her children

Amy and Eric, their spouses Everett Shorey and Karen Shoplik, her granddaughters Rachel Shorey

(Eliza Cava), Margot Shorey (Avery Ash), and Ella Segal, and two greatgranddaughters Lena and Francesca Cava, and her sister Madeline Spitz.

At the end of her life, she loved and was loved by her aides and helpers, especially Lola Cockfield and Rehma Muguluma, whose children she doted on and whose opinions she trusted.

In lieu of flowers, remembrances may be made to People For the American Way Foundation, https://act.pfaw.org/donate/tax-deductiblegifts/ or Action for Boston Community Development for Head Start Program, bostonabcd.org/inmemory