Beatrice White Filled Long Life with Spirit
Norwalk (CT) News-Times
Eileen FitzGerald
Nov. 5, 2012
BRIDGEWATER -- Beatrice Hofstadter White, whose wit, intellect and spirit fueled her life as a writer, editor, mother and gardener, died Oct. 30 at her Bridgewater home. She was 90.
"She had such a wonderful and interesting life," her daughter, Sarah Hofstadter, said Monday. "There were no regrets there."
White had some articles published, but her collaboration and contributions as editor for her two Pulitzer Prize-winning husbands and for others showcased her scholarship and intellectual acumen.
"She came from an earlier generation," Hofstadter said. "She was disappointed that she had not established herself independently, but she got a lot of satisfaction that she was able to give so much support to their work."
White's first husband, Mel Fineberg, died during World War II, after a year of marriage.
Her second husband, historian Richard Hofstadter, is considered one of the most distinguished American historians of the 20th century. He won Pulitzer Prizes for two of his books.
White worked closely with Hofstadter on "Great Issues In American History, From Reconstruction to the Present Day," which is used in classrooms. After his death in 1970 at age 54, she added a new section covering 1970 to 1981.
White edited three books by C. Wright Mills, "New Men of Power," "The Puerto Rican Journey" and "White Collar," and then edited four books for Pulitzer Prize-winning author Theodore H. White, whom she married in 1974.
Hosfstadter called her mother the "writer behind the throne," and said in a way she is following in her mother's footsteps by researching and writing the first drafts on opinions for a appellate court judge.
White was born Beatrice Kevitt in Buffalo, N.Y., on June 6, 1922. She graduated from Cornell University and received a master's degree from Columbia University.
She taught American history at Brooklyn College in the 1960s, providing rigorous coursework to academically high-performing students as part of a distinguished group of history professors, Ann Burton, her friend and former colleague, said Monday.
"She was an extraordinary woman," said Burton, who became chairman of Brooklyn College's history department and then dean at New York University.
"She was an unpublished scholar, but she was of immense importance to Dick Hofstadter and Teddy White," she said.
"She had an intensely inquiring mind and the most rigorous standards. You couldn't get away with anything, and she couldn't either," Burton said.
"She had an analytical mind. It was not an ideological mind. She certainly had the capacity to think historically. I think she was a natural historian."
Besides Hofstadter, White is survived by her adopted stepson, Dan Hofstadter, and two stepchildren, David White and Heyden White Rostow, who teaches at Brearley School in New York City.
"I think she was a woman who led with her mind, and that was OK," said Rostow, who was 24 years old when she met Beatrice Hofstadter White. "She gave me so many books as presents that mattered to me in life. She came through for me."
She said she believes White had thought about death and marked the stages of her acceptance very directly.
"She refused to make nice," Rostow said. "She looked at the world fairly and realistically right to the end."
Beatrice and Theodore White were weekenders in Bridgewater from the 1970s until his death in 1986. She moved to town permanently after that and served on the local Inland Wetlands Commission and the New Milford Hospital Foundation board. She also was known for her passion for gardening.
Jane Bernstein, of Bridgewater, a former editor at the New Yorker magazine, and her husband, retired New Yorker writer Burton Bernstein, remained close to White through the years.
"I saw her as feisty and tough, and yet what fascinated me about her was that there was something extremely vulnerable about her," she said. "It was a contradiction. There was a tender space."
Burton Bernstein said he and Beatrice White both liked to do the British crossword puzzles that are all puns and anagrams, and when they were stuck they'd get on the phone to each other.
"She could hold her own during an argument or a conversation. She could give and take. They don't make too many like her," Bernstein said.
"She was married to three extraordinary men, and she was an extraordinary woman in her own right. She was a witty, wonderful friend."
https://www.newstimes.com/local/article/Beatrice-White-filled-long-life-with-spirit-4010590.php
Norwalk (CT) News-Times
Eileen FitzGerald
Nov. 5, 2012
BRIDGEWATER -- Beatrice Hofstadter White, whose wit, intellect and spirit fueled her life as a writer, editor, mother and gardener, died Oct. 30 at her Bridgewater home. She was 90.
"She had such a wonderful and interesting life," her daughter, Sarah Hofstadter, said Monday. "There were no regrets there."
White had some articles published, but her collaboration and contributions as editor for her two Pulitzer Prize-winning husbands and for others showcased her scholarship and intellectual acumen.
"She came from an earlier generation," Hofstadter said. "She was disappointed that she had not established herself independently, but she got a lot of satisfaction that she was able to give so much support to their work."
White's first husband, Mel Fineberg, died during World War II, after a year of marriage.
Her second husband, historian Richard Hofstadter, is considered one of the most distinguished American historians of the 20th century. He won Pulitzer Prizes for two of his books.
White worked closely with Hofstadter on "Great Issues In American History, From Reconstruction to the Present Day," which is used in classrooms. After his death in 1970 at age 54, she added a new section covering 1970 to 1981.
White edited three books by C. Wright Mills, "New Men of Power," "The Puerto Rican Journey" and "White Collar," and then edited four books for Pulitzer Prize-winning author Theodore H. White, whom she married in 1974.
Hosfstadter called her mother the "writer behind the throne," and said in a way she is following in her mother's footsteps by researching and writing the first drafts on opinions for a appellate court judge.
White was born Beatrice Kevitt in Buffalo, N.Y., on June 6, 1922. She graduated from Cornell University and received a master's degree from Columbia University.
She taught American history at Brooklyn College in the 1960s, providing rigorous coursework to academically high-performing students as part of a distinguished group of history professors, Ann Burton, her friend and former colleague, said Monday.
"She was an extraordinary woman," said Burton, who became chairman of Brooklyn College's history department and then dean at New York University.
"She was an unpublished scholar, but she was of immense importance to Dick Hofstadter and Teddy White," she said.
"She had an intensely inquiring mind and the most rigorous standards. You couldn't get away with anything, and she couldn't either," Burton said.
"She had an analytical mind. It was not an ideological mind. She certainly had the capacity to think historically. I think she was a natural historian."
Besides Hofstadter, White is survived by her adopted stepson, Dan Hofstadter, and two stepchildren, David White and Heyden White Rostow, who teaches at Brearley School in New York City.
"I think she was a woman who led with her mind, and that was OK," said Rostow, who was 24 years old when she met Beatrice Hofstadter White. "She gave me so many books as presents that mattered to me in life. She came through for me."
She said she believes White had thought about death and marked the stages of her acceptance very directly.
"She refused to make nice," Rostow said. "She looked at the world fairly and realistically right to the end."
Beatrice and Theodore White were weekenders in Bridgewater from the 1970s until his death in 1986. She moved to town permanently after that and served on the local Inland Wetlands Commission and the New Milford Hospital Foundation board. She also was known for her passion for gardening.
Jane Bernstein, of Bridgewater, a former editor at the New Yorker magazine, and her husband, retired New Yorker writer Burton Bernstein, remained close to White through the years.
"I saw her as feisty and tough, and yet what fascinated me about her was that there was something extremely vulnerable about her," she said. "It was a contradiction. There was a tender space."
Burton Bernstein said he and Beatrice White both liked to do the British crossword puzzles that are all puns and anagrams, and when they were stuck they'd get on the phone to each other.
"She could hold her own during an argument or a conversation. She could give and take. They don't make too many like her," Bernstein said.
"She was married to three extraordinary men, and she was an extraordinary woman in her own right. She was a witty, wonderful friend."
https://www.newstimes.com/local/article/Beatrice-White-filled-long-life-with-spirit-4010590.php
Beatrice White Filled Long Life with Spirit
Norwalk (CT) News-Times
Eileen FitzGerald
Nov. 5, 2012
BRIDGEWATER -- Beatrice Hofstadter White, whose wit, intellect and spirit fueled her life as a writer, editor, mother and gardener, died Oct. 30 at her Bridgewater home. She was 90.
"She had such a wonderful and interesting life," her daughter, Sarah Hofstadter, said Monday. "There were no regrets there."
White had some articles published, but her collaboration and contributions as editor for her two Pulitzer Prize-winning husbands and for others showcased her scholarship and intellectual acumen.
"She came from an earlier generation," Hofstadter said. "She was disappointed that she had not established herself independently, but she got a lot of satisfaction that she was able to give so much support to their work."
White's first husband, Mel Fineberg, died during World War II, after a year of marriage.
Her second husband, historian Richard Hofstadter, is considered one of the most distinguished American historians of the 20th century. He won Pulitzer Prizes for two of his books.
White worked closely with Hofstadter on "Great Issues In American History, From Reconstruction to the Present Day," which is used in classrooms. After his death in 1970 at age 54, she added a new section covering 1970 to 1981.
White edited three books by C. Wright Mills, "New Men of Power," "The Puerto Rican Journey" and "White Collar," and then edited four books for Pulitzer Prize-winning author Theodore H. White, whom she married in 1974.
Hosfstadter called her mother the "writer behind the throne," and said in a way she is following in her mother's footsteps by researching and writing the first drafts on opinions for a appellate court judge.
White was born Beatrice Kevitt in Buffalo, N.Y., on June 6, 1922. She graduated from Cornell University and received a master's degree from Columbia University.
She taught American history at Brooklyn College in the 1960s, providing rigorous coursework to academically high-performing students as part of a distinguished group of history professors, Ann Burton, her friend and former colleague, said Monday.
"She was an extraordinary woman," said Burton, who became chairman of Brooklyn College's history department and then dean at New York University.
"She was an unpublished scholar, but she was of immense importance to Dick Hofstadter and Teddy White," she said.
"She had an intensely inquiring mind and the most rigorous standards. You couldn't get away with anything, and she couldn't either," Burton said.
"She had an analytical mind. It was not an ideological mind. She certainly had the capacity to think historically. I think she was a natural historian."
Besides Hofstadter, White is survived by her adopted stepson, Dan Hofstadter, and two stepchildren, David White and Heyden White Rostow, who teaches at Brearley School in New York City.
"I think she was a woman who led with her mind, and that was OK," said Rostow, who was 24 years old when she met Beatrice Hofstadter White. "She gave me so many books as presents that mattered to me in life. She came through for me."
She said she believes White had thought about death and marked the stages of her acceptance very directly.
"She refused to make nice," Rostow said. "She looked at the world fairly and realistically right to the end."
Beatrice and Theodore White were weekenders in Bridgewater from the 1970s until his death in 1986. She moved to town permanently after that and served on the local Inland Wetlands Commission and the New Milford Hospital Foundation board. She also was known for her passion for gardening.
Jane Bernstein, of Bridgewater, a former editor at the New Yorker magazine, and her husband, retired New Yorker writer Burton Bernstein, remained close to White through the years.
"I saw her as feisty and tough, and yet what fascinated me about her was that there was something extremely vulnerable about her," she said. "It was a contradiction. There was a tender space."
Burton Bernstein said he and Beatrice White both liked to do the British crossword puzzles that are all puns and anagrams, and when they were stuck they'd get on the phone to each other.
"She could hold her own during an argument or a conversation. She could give and take. They don't make too many like her," Bernstein said.
"She was married to three extraordinary men, and she was an extraordinary woman in her own right. She was a witty, wonderful friend."
https://www.newstimes.com/local/article/Beatrice-White-filled-long-life-with-spirit-4010590.php
Norwalk (CT) News-Times
Eileen FitzGerald
Nov. 5, 2012
BRIDGEWATER -- Beatrice Hofstadter White, whose wit, intellect and spirit fueled her life as a writer, editor, mother and gardener, died Oct. 30 at her Bridgewater home. She was 90.
"She had such a wonderful and interesting life," her daughter, Sarah Hofstadter, said Monday. "There were no regrets there."
White had some articles published, but her collaboration and contributions as editor for her two Pulitzer Prize-winning husbands and for others showcased her scholarship and intellectual acumen.
"She came from an earlier generation," Hofstadter said. "She was disappointed that she had not established herself independently, but she got a lot of satisfaction that she was able to give so much support to their work."
White's first husband, Mel Fineberg, died during World War II, after a year of marriage.
Her second husband, historian Richard Hofstadter, is considered one of the most distinguished American historians of the 20th century. He won Pulitzer Prizes for two of his books.
White worked closely with Hofstadter on "Great Issues In American History, From Reconstruction to the Present Day," which is used in classrooms. After his death in 1970 at age 54, she added a new section covering 1970 to 1981.
White edited three books by C. Wright Mills, "New Men of Power," "The Puerto Rican Journey" and "White Collar," and then edited four books for Pulitzer Prize-winning author Theodore H. White, whom she married in 1974.
Hosfstadter called her mother the "writer behind the throne," and said in a way she is following in her mother's footsteps by researching and writing the first drafts on opinions for a appellate court judge.
White was born Beatrice Kevitt in Buffalo, N.Y., on June 6, 1922. She graduated from Cornell University and received a master's degree from Columbia University.
She taught American history at Brooklyn College in the 1960s, providing rigorous coursework to academically high-performing students as part of a distinguished group of history professors, Ann Burton, her friend and former colleague, said Monday.
"She was an extraordinary woman," said Burton, who became chairman of Brooklyn College's history department and then dean at New York University.
"She was an unpublished scholar, but she was of immense importance to Dick Hofstadter and Teddy White," she said.
"She had an intensely inquiring mind and the most rigorous standards. You couldn't get away with anything, and she couldn't either," Burton said.
"She had an analytical mind. It was not an ideological mind. She certainly had the capacity to think historically. I think she was a natural historian."
Besides Hofstadter, White is survived by her adopted stepson, Dan Hofstadter, and two stepchildren, David White and Heyden White Rostow, who teaches at Brearley School in New York City.
"I think she was a woman who led with her mind, and that was OK," said Rostow, who was 24 years old when she met Beatrice Hofstadter White. "She gave me so many books as presents that mattered to me in life. She came through for me."
She said she believes White had thought about death and marked the stages of her acceptance very directly.
"She refused to make nice," Rostow said. "She looked at the world fairly and realistically right to the end."
Beatrice and Theodore White were weekenders in Bridgewater from the 1970s until his death in 1986. She moved to town permanently after that and served on the local Inland Wetlands Commission and the New Milford Hospital Foundation board. She also was known for her passion for gardening.
Jane Bernstein, of Bridgewater, a former editor at the New Yorker magazine, and her husband, retired New Yorker writer Burton Bernstein, remained close to White through the years.
"I saw her as feisty and tough, and yet what fascinated me about her was that there was something extremely vulnerable about her," she said. "It was a contradiction. There was a tender space."
Burton Bernstein said he and Beatrice White both liked to do the British crossword puzzles that are all puns and anagrams, and when they were stuck they'd get on the phone to each other.
"She could hold her own during an argument or a conversation. She could give and take. They don't make too many like her," Bernstein said.
"She was married to three extraordinary men, and she was an extraordinary woman in her own right. She was a witty, wonderful friend."
https://www.newstimes.com/local/article/Beatrice-White-filled-long-life-with-spirit-4010590.php
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