Saturday, October 3, 2026
2:00 pm
The Hockaday School, Nancy A. Nasher and David J. Haemisegger Family Theater
Reception to follow in the Liza Lee Academic Research Center

 

Liza grew up in New York City and attended two all-girls schools from pre-K through senior year, graduating from The Brearley School in 1961. She earned her Bachelor of Arts from Mount Holyoke College, where she was a Mary Lyon Fellow, and her Master of Arts from Columbia University, where she was a Woodrow Wilson Fellow. Her honors included the Elizabeth Topham Kennan Award from the Mount Holyoke College Alumnae Association, an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters from Southern Methodist University, SMU's Maura Award for her support of women's lives, the Excellence in Education Award from the Dallas Historical Society, and the Girls' Champion Award from Girls Inc. Her career in independent schools began at The Brearley School in New York City, where she spent more than 20 years in many roles, including as Acting Head of Middle School and Head of Middle School.

 

Liza led Hockaday as Headmistress from 1990 to 2004 and, again, as Interim Headmistress from 2015 to 2017. During her remarkable tenure, she raised the School's diversity rate from 17 to 24 percent, introduced block scheduling, and modernized the science, math, technology, arts, and engineering curriculum, among many other notable achievements. She led The Hockaday Tomorrow Campaign, which funded investments in technology and built the research center that now bears her name, the Liza Lee Academic Research Center (LLARC). Upon her return in 2015, she guided the completion of The Centennial Campaign and launched the service-learning program that sends every student into the community to learn beyond the classroom. She served as the Commencement Speaker at the Class of 2007 graduation ceremony, and the Alumnae Association named both Liza and her husband Will as Honorary Alums in 2004. Hockaday also named a crew boat for her in 2019.

 

Liza was known and treasured for the personal touch she brought to her work. As Ed Long, former Fine Arts Department Chair and Nancy Penn Penson '41 and John G. Penson Distinguished Teacher in Fine Arts, said upon her retirement, "Diminutive only in height, Liza is towering in heart and love for the School. She has nurtured all of us and brought unparalleled commitment to tasks and campaigns too numerous to count. She seems fearless when we need that, witty and thoughtful in every instance, and she is the one we want in our corner."

 

“Liza was an extraordinary leader whose impact on my life went far beyond her role as headmistress,” said Abby Hoak Morton ’05. “No matter how much time had passed, she somehow always knew what was happening in my life and genuinely cared about every update, making you feel that you truly mattered to her. She had a remarkable ability to be both stern and loving—you never wanted to disappoint her, but you always knew that her expectations came from a place of love and belief in who you could become. I would meet people throughout my life who would hear where I went to school and say, “You’re one of Liza’s girls,” and being one of Liza’s girls will always be one of the greatest honors of my life.”

 

Beyond Hockaday, Liza led the Columbus School for Girls in Ohio and stepped in as interim head at Trinity Episcopal School in Austin, Porter-Gaud School in Charleston, and The College Preparatory School in Charleston. She served on the boards of The Lawrenceville School, The Brooks School, The Brearley School, St. Philip's School, and The Winston School in Dallas and was Past President of both the National Association of Principals of Schools for Girls and the Country Day School Headmasters Association. She also served on the boards of Oldfields School and the Dallas Holocaust Museum/Center for Justice and Tolerance.

 

Liza is survived by her husband, William M. Lee, M.D.; her three children, Ted (EV Day); Matthew (Gia), and Caroline (Mike); and their grandchildren, Arthur, Lorenzo, George, Ellie, and Henry.

 

Please joinus in celebrating the incredible life and legacy of Liza Lee. She was truly one of a kind, whose voice, wit, and leadership will long be remembered. Hockaday would not be the incredible school it is today without her influence. In lieu of flowers, the family has requested that memorial gifts be made to the Will and Liza Lee Center for Liver Disease and Transplant Research at UT Southwestern, The Hockaday School, for the benefit of the Liza and Will Lee Financial Aid Endowment Fund at Hockaday, or a charity of your choice.