History and Giving
The Living Legacy of the Falk Family
S everal clues about the history of Fanny Edel Falk Laboratory School are visible to anyone who enters the school . There is the name engraved above the door , the cornerstone marked 1931 for the year Falk School was built , or the plaque mounted inside the entryway that reads “ Erected by Leon Falk , Jr ., and Marjorie Falk Levy in memory of their mother Fanny Edel Falk .”
What ’ s not as readily apparent is that descendants of the school ’ s founding family are still present at Falk today , playing an active role in the school ’ s governance and in its classrooms .
Leon Falk Jr ., cofounder of Falk Laboratory School , had five children : Ellen , Sara , Sigo , David , and Susannah , all of whom attended Falk .
Ellen Falk Hirsch and Her Descendants
Ellen Falk Hirsch ( 1929 – 2020 ) attended Falk Laboratory School from nursery school through eighth grade . She was married to Joseph Glick and later to Wallace Hirsch . In addition to Pittsburgh , she resided for several years in New York City , Philadelphia , Jerusalem , and Oxford .
Ellen ’ s sons , Jonathan and Timothy Glick , attended Falk School in the 1950s . Jonathan later served on the Falk School Board for many years as one of the two Falk family representatives .
Among those representing the third generation of the Falk family at Falk School were the children of Jonathan Glick and Debra Rubinstein : Sarah , Seth , and Susannah Glick . Seth , who graduated from Falk in 1999 , was proud to bring his son to his first day as a Kindergartener in 2023 , thereby making him the first member of the fourth generation to begin the Falk School experience .
“ I always knew I wanted my children to come here ,” says Seth . He adds that while dating his nowwife , he told her that if they were to have children , those children would attend Falk . His wife , also from Pittsburgh , agreed at once , saying that most of her best friends had attended the school .
Seth ’ s sister , Sarah Glick , will also return to Falk School when she brings her son to his first day of school in 2024 .
Ellen ’ s daughter , Nancy Glick , currently serves on the Board . A longtime educator at Pittsburgh ’ s Community Day School , and her son , Benjamin Grossman — another member of the third generation — attended Falk from fourth through eighth grade .
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Sigo Falk and His Descendants
Ellen Falk Hirsch ’ s eighthgrade class photo , taken in the spring of 1942
Leon Falk , Jr .’ s oldest son , Sigo , graduated from Falk in 1946 . At that time , the school only went up to sixth grade due to a temporary teacher shortage following World War II . Sigo married Jean ( Davis ) Falk . Their son , Andy , married Dorothy Snee Falk in 1994 .
For more than 25 years , Dorothy has served on the Falk School Board as a Falk family representative . Andy and Dorothy ’ s three children , Sam , Ellie , and Amy , all attended Falk .
Dorothy earned a Master of Arts in curriculum and instruction at Lehigh University and recalls that when she first toured Falk , she was impressed by how forward-thinking the school ’ s curriculum was .
“ They were doing all the things I had learned about in my masters program ,” she says , “ and doing it successfully .”
What impressed Andy , Dorothy says , was seeing that Falk eighth-graders were nice to Kindergarteners .
“ It felt like a big family ,” she recalls . “ It was the family feeling of the school that most appealed to us .”
Her background in education has informed Dorothy ’ s work on the school board .
“ It ’ s been rewarding to me to see that people still have the same goals as those for which the school was created ,” she says . “ All these years later , the intent of the charter is still being lived out . It permeates the culture of the school .”
Andy is the University of Pittsburgh ’ s Executive Director of Corporate and Foundation Relations . He and Dorothy have provided Falk Laboratory School with significant ongoing financial support on behalf of the extended Falk family . In 2018 , the family made a $ 50,000 gift via the donor advised Falk Brothers Fund to create the Falk Family Diversity Initiatives Fund , which provides support for workshops and training for teachers and staff ; engaging speakers to present topics relating to diversity and inclusion ; materials for student-involved projects ; and other related activities and programs . ■
A newspaper clipping of Ellen Falk Hirsch during her time at Falk Laboratory School