Shirley Safran, Age 85

Shirley D. Safran died suddenly on May 3 of a heart attack.

She was a lifelong New Yorker and a graduate of Music and Art High School, Brooklyn College, with a B.A. in Speech and Theater, and Hunter College, with an M.A. in English.

After a successful early career as a singer and actress, she became a high school English teacher at Art & Design HS and adjunct lecturer in Communication Arts and Skills at New York City Community College in Brooklyn. Shirley directed Art & Design's school plays and coached the debate team, who under her guidance became New York City high school champions. She received the MIT Inspirational Teacher Award, awarded by MIT Alumni Association to exceptional high school educators, after being nominated by a former student who attended MIT.

Shirley was an active UFT member and a strike veteran during the union's early days.

She was a magnificent teacher and a positive, sustaining, and vibrant presence in many lives.