Patricia L. Schall

(1945-2020)

Patricia L. Schall, of West Orange NJ, passed away on Monday, April 6th, after a difficult year-long bout with colon cancer. Pat was born on March 16, 1945 in Montclair Community Hospital, the daughter of Edward Martin Schall Jr. and Margaret Champi. She grew up in East Hanover until she was a teenager, when her father decided to purchase a boat and begin work as a commercial fisherman, thereupon relocating the family to Brick Town. Pat early on exhibited a strong interest in education, and graduated from Montclair State Teachers College in 1968 with the goal of becoming a secondary school teacher. She taught English at Watchung Hills Regional High School from 1968-1980, earning the life-long love and admiration of her students as well as the respect of her colleagues throughout the school district. Pat then decided to pursue a Ph.D. nights at New York University, while working a variety of day jobs: director of the Educational Media Center at Seton Hall University in South Orange, administrator at St. Mark’s Episcopal Church in Plainfield, and research associate at Response Analysis in Princeton. She completed her Ph.D. in 1992, whereupon she immediately began a career at the College of Saint Elizabeth in Morristown NJ. She served in a variety of leadership capacities there, including head of the Education Department and the director of various graduate programs in education, until her retirement in 2016, when she was named Professor Emeritus.

Pat’s dissertation at NYU, “Oral Prewriting and the Personal Narrative Composing of Ten Sixth-Grade Children,” reflected her life-long interest in understanding how children learn to write. Her book, Protecting the Right To Teach and Learn: Power, Politics, and Public Schools (Teachers College Press, 2001), which was co-authored with two Seton Hall University professors, indicated her commitment to creating a better learning environment for teachers who struggled within highly politicized school systems. She was very active professionally, serving as a board member and former president of the New Jersey Council of Teachers of English, which bestowed its Educator of the Year Award on her in 2008. And she presented regularly at the National Council of Teachers of English annual conferences. Pat also had strong civic commitments and believed in the value of political activism and public engagement. At various times she served as a member of the North Plainfield Board of Education, became an active participant in New Jersey 11th for Change, and worked as a Democratic Committeewoman in West Orange. She strove to make the world a better, kinder, and more caring place, doing so with characteristic grace and intelligence.

Pat is survived by her husband of over thirty-three years, Peter J. Wosh, of West Orange, as well as her beloved Bengal cat, Francis Albert (aka Frankie). She also has a sister, Rose, of Brick Town, and a brother Edward, of Jackson Township, as well as several nieces and nephews. Her other sister, Bonnie, passed away several years ago. Pat was a strong animal rights activist, enjoyed attending New York Mets games at Citifield, had fun traveling around the United States and visiting obscure presidential homes and historic sites as well as national parks, found pleasure in searching out roseate spoonbills and white pelicans, and warmly touched the lives of everyone she met. She will be missed by all who knew her, a beloved mentor, colleague, and friend. If you wish to make a donation in her honor, she was especially committed to undergraduate education at Montclair State University, as well as a few other favorite charities: St. Hubert’s Giralda in Morristown, WNYC Public Radio in New York, the National Parks Conservation Association, and New Jersey 11th for Change. Details concerning any future memorial services will be provided at a later date.