Dorothy S. Prisock, 91, of Philadelphia, longtime high school English teacher in the School District of Philadelphia, retired vice president of the Philadelphia Federation of Teachers, mentor, and civic advocate, died Thursday, July 20, of advanced dementia at her daughter’s home in Old Bridge, N.J.
As a full-time union leader from 1983 to 1998, Mrs. Prisock negotiated often-contentious collective bargaining agreements with school district officials, represented members in work-related conflicts, and generally advocated everywhere for both teachers and students. In 1986, she helped ease a rigid curriculum pacing schedule the district had put in place and told The Inquirer: “A youngster goes to school to learn, not to move as fast as he or she is instructed to move.
She was a member of Top Ladies of Distinction and active with the United Negro College Fund, Allen University alumni groups, and many committees for the Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority. “She genuinely cared about people,” her daughter said. “She was so humble we never knew how much she did. But she put her heart and soul into everything.”
She moved to Philadelphia, where he worked at the post office, and set up house in Hunting Park and later Mount Airy. They had son Louis III and daughter Natalie, and spent long summer days on memorable family vacations across the country. “She had always told me that I could achieve anything if I set my mind to it,” said her nephew Wallace.