Dr. Donna Perone was a school psychologist at Upper Dublin School District for the last 17 years. She retired in June, 2017, in hopes of being able to travel, garden, read, go to art museums, take walks in the park, take photographs, listen to all types of music, and to generally enjoy the fruits of her many years of labor and community activism.
Tragically, this was not to be, as she passed away at 2:38 p.m., on the afternoon of Saturday, February 17, 2018 in the ICU at Chestnut Hill Hospital after courageously fighting cancer for over two and a half years to the bitter end. We are grateful to her many comrades, colleagues, co-workers, family, medical personnel, and friends who supported her during her brave and difficult struggle.
A special memorial tribute will be held for Donna on Saturday, April 21, 2018, from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. at Oxford Presbyterian Church at 3501 Stenton Avenue at the corner of Gowen Avenue in Mount Airy; with speakers from Donna’s life, and jazz, blues, and gospel music from some of Philadelphia’s greatest musicians. Reception to follow.
Donna held a Bachelor’s Degree from Wheaton College, three Masters Degrees, a PhD. in Psychology, national board certification in psychology, and certification as a high school principal. Dr. Perone was previously a professor in the education department at St. Joseph’s University and a psychologist at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia NICU.
Donna was awarded best dissertation in the Temple University Graduate School for her doctoral thesis on reducing violence in the schools by improving school climate by creating dialogues and support groups of administrators, teachers, psychologists, parents, and school children. She created the first bilingual education parent-teacher-student model nationally while a school counselor in Framingham, Massachusetts. As co-chairperson of the International Committee Against Racism in Boson in the seventies, Donna was active in promoting public school integration. This entailed physical danger from racist anti-bussing forces in the streets of Boston who also dominated the Boston School Committee and City Council who were forced by court order to integrate the schools.
Donna helped organize groups of parents, teachers, and activists to protect black school children from racist mobs during the integration of South Boston High School. Donna, along with other members of the International Committee Against Racism, physically battled against the Ku Klux Klan when they were prevented from coming north to link up with racist, anti-bussing forces in Boston, long before the recent tragic events in Charlottesville, Virginia.
Donna has had asbestos removed from elementary schools, and led a movement to prevent the placement of an environmentally dangerous incinerator in the diverse Jewish and Hispanic neighborhood of Greenpoint Brooklyn. She was given an award as the best Spanish Language student in New York State while a student at Mamaroneck High School, earning her a scholarship to study for a year abroad in Mexico City during the tumultuous 1968 Olympics at the time of the protest of Tommy Smith and John Carlos when they called attention to the massacre of hundreds of anti-war activists in Mexico City.
While in Mexico, Donna studied anthropology and archeology. Donna was also fluent in French and Italian. Donna worked tirelessly as a community activist for a number of years helping others, promoted bi-lingual education, multicultural diversity, immigration, unions, and the nationwide integration of the public schools.
Dr. Donna Perone was a true internationalist who devoted her life to serving others. She will be greatly missed by her extended family in the United States and Italy, friends, and her husband of 35 years, Larry Hambrecht.
