Elizabeth Sherman Swing

1927 - 2018

In 1990, Elizabeth Sherman Swing was knighted by the King of Belgium to honor her research in Belgian education. Thereafter, academic friends called her Sir Elizabeth. Elizabeth Sherman Swing, 91, died peacefully on October 23, 2018, in Concord, Massachusetts, where she had lived since 2015. She is survived by her daughter, Pamela Swing (Martin Plotkin) of Concord, her son, Bradford Swing Timothy Harbold) of Boston, and two grandchildren, enjamin Plotkin-Swing of eattle, Washington, and Anna Plotkin-Swing of Somerville. Sherman Swing was raised in Arlington, daughter of a mail carrier and a homemaker who collected buttons and wrote poetry. Her rebellious nature and concern for social justice showed early when she asked an African American civil rights leader to speak at an Evacuation Day assembly at Arlington High School, to the principals consternation. She attended Radcliffe, (BA 1949, MA 52). In her own words, I began to develop the intellectual verve and skills that made the rest of my life possible. As a commuter, the first in my family to go to college, I encountered many challenges, but I knew when I got off the bus each morning that I was entering a vibrant, exciting world. She married Peter Gram Swing (1922-1996) in May 1948, and followed his developing career to Swarthmore, where he taught in the Music Department of Swarthmore College. The role of professors wife and full-time mother precipitated a crisis of identity. She began to teach English at a local high school. Then, after getting her doctorate in Comparative Education (U. of Pennsylvania) at the age of 52, she taught at St. Josephs University in Philadelphia, PA as well as pursuing international research on different educational systems. Sherman Swing was known for her wry humor, vivid intellect, and, at times, fiery temper that matched her fiery red hair. She was a beloved and exacting teacher, and a valued mentor to numerous women pursuing academic careers. She loved American literature, particularly the Massachusetts transcendentalists. A descendant of Governor William Bradford, in her very last days, amid struggles with dementia, she asked her children about the Mayflower, how long its voyage was to America, and for help in getting home to Plymouth. A memorial service will be held on March 23, 2019, 2:00 p.m., at Swarthmore Friends Meeting, Swarthmore, PA. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in her memory to Town of Arlington, memo: Elizabeth Sherman Swing Scholarship, 730 Massachusetts Ave., Arlington, MA 02476. Arrangements are under the care of Dee Funeral Home & Cremation Service of Concord. To share a remembrance or to send a condolence in her online guestbook, please visit www. DeeFuneralHome.com.