Vito Perrone

Vito Perrone Age 78, of Cambridge, died on August 24, 2011. He was born on April 26, 1933, in Bath, Michigan, the son of Joseph and Anna (D'Anna) Perrone. Vito graduated from Lansing Eastern High School and attended Michigan State University. At MSU, he was a Big Ten Wrestling Champion and an All American. After earning his B.A., he served in the U.S. Army. While pursuing his master's and his doctorate at MSU, Vito taught social studies and coached wrestling at his former high school. Vito's first position in higher education was at Northern Michigan University where he was Associate Professor of History and Dean of Common Learning and Graduate Studies (1962-1968). In 1968, Vito became Dean of the New School of Behavioral Studies in Education and four years later Dean of the Center for Teaching and Learning at the University of North Dakota. In 1986, he left North Dakota to become Vice-President of the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching. Two years later, he joined the faculty of the Harvard Graduate School of Education, where he served as director of Teacher Education and chair of the Teaching, Curriculum, and Learning Environments Program. From 1972 until 2000, he coordinated the North Dakota Study Group on Evaluation, a national organization of teachers, school administrators, and university scholars. Vito gained national recognition for his work on educational equity, progressivism in education, and testing and evaluation. He received numerous awards and honors over the years, including the Fourth Annual Global Citizen Award from the Boston Research Center for the 21st Century in 1998 and being named the Theodore R. Sizer Senior Lecturer on Education at HGSE in 2001. In 2000, he suffered a debilitating stroke. Vito's humor, kindness, patience, and perseverance sustained him and his family during these trying times, and gradually he recuperated sufficiently to meet regularly with family and friends and to participate in the activities of the Aphasia Community Group of Boston. He was preceded in death by his parents, his brothers Frank, Dominick, and Jack, and his sister Leonarda Bono. He is survived by his beloved wife of 55 years Carmel (Leonard) Perrone. He was the devoted father of Rev. Vito J. Perrone, C.O.S.J., of San Francisco, CA, Christopher of Invergrove Heights, MN, Patrick of Nutley, NJ, Maryann of Lyon France, Jack of Rochester, MN, Sean of Watertown, MA, and Siobhan of Danvers, MA, Brother of Rose Doeringer of Grand Rapids, MI, Also survived by many loving In-Laws, 11 grandchildren, numerous nieces and nephews. Funeral from the Stanton Funeral Home 786 Mt. Auburn St. (RT16) Watertown on Saturday Sept. 3, 2011 at 9 a.m. Funeral Mass in the Sacred Heart Church, Watertown, MA, at 10 a.m. Relatives and friends respectfully invited to attend. Visiting hours Friday Sept. 2, 2011 from 4-8 P.M. Interment Mt. Auburn Cemetery, Cambridge. In lieu of flowers, contributions in Vito's memory may be made to the Aphasia Community Group of Boston, c/o Jerome H. Kaplan, M.A., CCC-SLP, Sargent College, Boston University, 635 Commonwealth Ave., Boston, MA 02215.