Hazel Gooch McDermott

1909 - 2002

Hazel Gooch McDermott, 92, a retired professor, died Tuesday, April 16, 2002, at a Fort Worth care center.

Funeral Mass: 11 a.m. Friday at St. Mark's Episcopal Church, Irving.

Memorials: In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Excellence in Education Forum at the Department of Education, University of Dallas, Irving.

Dr. McDermott was born July 18, 1909, in Indianapolis, Ind., to the late Rachel Stout Gooch and Charles Perry Gooch. She attended Indianapolis public schools and graduated from Indiana University with a BA in history and English. She was married to the late Peter McDermott in 1934 in New York City. Dr. McDermott's career in education spanned 43 years. She began teaching in Indianapolis in 1949. She moved with her family to Texas in 1950 and taught first grade in Millsap. She later moved to Irving, working in the local school system and attaining the position of supervisor of education for kindergarten through third grade. During her tenure at Irving ISD she developed the kindergarten curriculum and originated the "Safety Town" program. Dr. McDermott was awarded her master's in education in 1966 from Texas Woman's University. In 1977, she earned her doctorate in education from TWU, thus attaining her lifetime professional goal. She became an assistant professor of education at the University of Dallas at an age when most people retire. When she retired in 1992, at the age of 83, the "Dr. Hazel McDermott Student Teaching Award" was created to honor outstanding student teachers.

Dr. McDermott was a longtime member of the St. Mark's Episcopal Church in Irving. She served as a member of the vestry and numerous other positions. She was a loving mother, grandmother and friend, and she mentored a host of students over the years.

Survivors: Daughters, Sandy Allen and husband, Ed, Patricia McCarty and husband, Ronnie, and Sheila Johnson and husband, Lou; grandchildren, David Cowling and wife, Amy, John Williams and wife, Michelle, Patrick Williams and wife, Melissa, Sydney Cowling Nguyen, Matthew Glenn and wife, Beth, Courtney Williams Fitzgerald and husband, Billy, Tracy Glenn Applegate and husband, Vernon, Mandy Glenn and Scott Johnson; and great-grandchildren, Marcus McCarty, Amanda Massey, Leslie Glenn, Tatiana Azcarate, Kendra Hughs and Duncan Williams.