Helen Ruth     Freeman Fisk

Poet And Educator

Helen Ruth Freeman Fisk, born in Philadelphia, March 26, 1917, died July 7 in Danbury from complications following a stroke. Mrs Fisk was the author of several volumes of poetry, Diurnal Matters, A Certain Distance, The Fugitive Season, and The Far Field, and was a founding member of the Board of Directors of Poets House. She gave several readings of her poetry at the C.H. Booth Library. She is survived by her husband, Merlin Fisk, who served as judge of probate in Newtown.

Mrs Fisk lived in New York City most of her life. She was a graduate of Wellesley College with a master’s in English and comparative literature from Columbia University, leading to an active career in education. As teacher, and ultimately assistant principal and chairman of English at Washington Irving High School in Manhattan, she served as president of the NYC Association of English Teachers and as president of the NYC Chairmen of English. In 1971 she founded the NYC High School Poetry Festival to encourage young poets, an annual contest and workshop, which through the years featured many of America’s most distinguished poets and actors as judges, speakers, and mentors.

She was active in many cultural and social organizations, including Nichibei Fujinkai, of which she was a former president, an institution dedicated to welcoming Japanese national women to New York to further cooperation and understanding between the two nations.

In addition to her husband, Mrs Fisk is survived by her daughter and son-in-law, Elizabeth and David Hansen; four grandchildren, Jeffrey, Christopher, Matthew, and Miranda Zappala; and five stepdaughters, Judith Raices, Dana Pitts, Catherine Forsyth, Anne Bergan, and Elizabeth Barisser. She will be sorely missed by her many friends and former associates.

A private family memorial service will be held at a later date.

The Newtown Bee        July 13, 2007