In Memoriam: Elizabeth "Liza" Lee
Elizabeth "Liza" Lee, an accomplished educator, community leader, and wife of William M. Lee, M.D., Professor Emeritus, died peacefully on Sept. 12 at Clements University Hospital. She was 83.
Earlier this year, UT Southwestern established the Will and Liza Lee Center for Liver Disease and Transplant Research in recognition of Dr. Lee’s pioneering contributions to hepatology and liver research and Mrs. Lee’s lifelong commitment to education, leadership, and public service. The Center supports research aimed at advancing the understanding and treatment of liver disease, cirrhosis, liver cancer, and related conditions.
Over a career that spanned more than five decades, Mrs. Lee became one of the most respected leaders in independent school education. Best known for her years as Eugene McDermott Headmistress of The Hockaday School in Dallas, she guided the school through substantial growth and curriculum reform while earning a reputation for combining high expectations with a personal interest in the lives of students and colleagues.
Mrs. Lee was born Elizabeth Lyon Maxwell on Aug. 8, 1943, in New York City. Her father, Charles R. Maxwell Jr., was a corporate and financial lawyer, and her mother, Elizabeth Scheuer Maxwell, was active in civic and cultural organizations. She attended The Brearley School, an independent girls’ school in Manhattan, graduating in 1961 after spending her entire pre-college education in all-girls schools.
She earned a bachelor’s degree in English from Mount Holyoke College and a master’s degree in English from Columbia University.
She married William Martens Lee in 1966.
Her professional career began at Brearley, where she spent 12 years in a variety of teaching and administrative roles, including Head of the Middle School. The experience provided the foundation for a career that would take her to leadership positions at independent schools across the nation.
After serving as head of the Columbus School for Girls in Ohio, Mrs. Lee was selected in 1990 to lead The Hockaday School, one of the nation’s leading independent schools for girls.
During her 14-year tenure as headmistress, she oversaw a period of academic and institutional development. The school expanded enrollment diversity, adopted block scheduling, and modernized programs in science, mathematics, technology, engineering, and the arts. She also led a successful campaign to fund investments in technology, resulting in the construction of the academic research center that now bears her name.
More than a decade after her retirement, she returned to Hockaday as interim headmistress from 2015 to 2017. During that period, she helped guide completion of the school’s Centennial Campaign and launched a service-learning initiative that connected classroom learning with community engagement.
Those who worked with Mrs. Lee often pointed to her ability to cultivate personal relationships alongside institutional leadership.
Mrs. Lee’s influence extended beyond Dallas. She served as interim head of Trinity Episcopal School in Austin, Porter-Gaud School in Charleston, South Carolina, and The College Preparatory School in California. She also served on the boards of The Lawrenceville School, Porter-Gaud School, St. Philip’s School, The Winston School, Oldfields School, and also served on the boards of the Dallas Holocaust Museum/Center for Education and Tolerance, the Eugene McDermott Foundation, and KERA North Texas Public Broadcasting.
Over the course of her career, she received numerous honors, including the Elizabeth Topham Kennan Award from Mount Holyoke College, the Excellence in Education Award from the Dallas Historical Society, the Girls’ Champion Award from Girls Inc., and an honorary doctorate from Southern Methodist University.
In addition to her husband, she is survived by her children, Matthew (Gia), Ted (E.V. Day), and Caroline (Mike Nees); five grandchildren, Arthur, Lorenzo, George, Ellie, and Henry; and her brother John W. Maxwell (Dora Keogh).
A memorial service will be held on Saturday, Oct. 3, at 2 p.m. in The Hockaday School's Nancy A. Nasher and David J. Haemisegger Family Theater. A reception will follow in the Liza Lee Academic Research Center.
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 Medical Center, The Hockaday School for the benefit of the Liza and Will Lee Financial Aid Endowment Fund, or a charity of the donor's choice.